Can we ever say that our attachments are holding us when actually we are always responsible?
Question can we ever say that our attachments are holding us isn't it that it is always we who are responsible wouldn't this idea that our attachments are holding us make us justify that we can't do anything about it this question is based on your gita daily are we holding our attachments or are our attachments holding us answer yes ultimately it is we who are responsible no doubt because even our attachments cannot catch us unless we let ourselves be caught at the same time there is a difference in the two situations which is significant between whether we are holding on to our attachments or our attachments are holding on to us when we are holding on to our attachments as i mentioned clearly in that gita daily article we have we consciously cultivate desires hopes and plans to enjoy the pleasure to which we are attached and then we indulge in it so that is when we are holding our attachments but there are other times when without our plan the attachments catch us that means the example for this would be ajamil ajamil had no intention to go to an area where he knew low-class people would be doing obscene activities publicly he was actually going on an errand given by his father to collect paraphernalia for the yajna from the forest and on the way he saw that agitating scene and he succumbed by that so this could be an example of attachments holding us attach that's catching us now of course ajamil's subsequent lifelong debauchery was not a question not a case of his attachments catching him or holding him it was he himself who consented eventually now there are certain acts that can happen on the spur of the moment and we may just be overcome by the passions at that time but over a period of time we do regain our intelligence and certainly for a culture brahmana like him to abandon his wife to abandon his parents and then to abandon the brahmanical occupations of yajan yajan dan parigraham pathan pathan of teaching and learning and performing yajnas and prasidhi and giving charity and taking up the debased activities of stealing and plundering people certainly there must have been twangs of consciousness pinches of consciousness strong voices from within urging him to stop he neglected those voices and he planned to do all those things so later on it was clearly he who held on to the attachment so generally if it are attachments catching us it is a one-off event which happens suddenly without any plan or expectation and then it gets over so these are certainly damaging to our Krishna consciousness no doubt about that and even for those we can be said to be responsible because even after we see an agitating side it is we who ultimately choose to engage in that activity but sometimes the force may be too much at that moment and we may not be able to resist but the important thing is what do we do after that so the first mistake is bad but the second mistake which often often involves rationalizing and perpetuating what has happened in the first mistake that is what really makes things terrible for us so even when our attachments catch us that is not a justification for our not taking responsibility for what happened so when Arjuna asked this question about lust in 3.36 he uses a very significant word over there Arjuna Vachan Atakena Prayuktoyam Paapam Charati Purushaha Anikshanapi Varshneya Bala Divani Yojithaha he says Atakena Prayuktoyam by what is one engaged impelled Paapam Charati Purushaha towards sin and then the significant was Anikshanapi Varshneya Anikshan it is without our desire and not only is it without our desire he is further saying Bala Divani Yojithaha it is we feel as if we are engaged by force so he is talking about a situation where we get caught by our attachments but certainly that is not always the case so there there are situations where we know that there's something which we should not do Anikshan and still we feel a force compelling us now quite often there is a small voice saying that this shouldn't be done but within us itself there is a bigger voice saying that we should do it and we listen to that voice and we plan how to act according to that voice then it is our attachments catching us but when there is a strong voice within us which is saying that we shouldn't do it so our predominant desire is Anikshan but at the same time the force of circumstances forces compels us to do such a thing then that is that is not considered to be wrong in this as wrong as say when we ourselves plan and succumb this is not to say that we are not responsible we are responsible and we need to plan how we can avoid those situations also in future so if we know that there are certain avenues certain activities certain times certain circumstances that that provoke us that that where the attachments do catch us then we need to be we need to plan to be plan to deal with them in a cautious way either we can avoid them or ensure that we don't become loose and casual when we are in those situations but are on guard and then we can protect ourselves so ultimately we are responsible but the extent of the responsibility or culpability will vary depending on how much things are initiated by us and how much things are initiated by circumstances beyond us either way ultimately and the attachment cannot catch us unless we consent but whether it is our consent or whether it is our intent that is what is the difference that is being talked about in this article of Gita daily are our attachments holding us or are are we holding our attachments so when we holding our attachments it is a matter of intent we desire to do it and when it is the attachments holding us at that time we consent either way we are responsible and we need to do whatever is required to become free from being entrapped by the attachment in both ways.