Questioner: Is penance a mandatory step in the spiritual process? If the mind is such that there is no attachment or suffering involved in relating with objects, then should it still practice austerity or abstinence?
Acharya Prashant: Austerity is needed because you are suffering in the company of your objects. If you are not suffering at all, then let alone austerity, even spirituality is not needed. If you are not suffering at all, even Vedanta is not needed. Vedanta begins with suffering. If there is no suffering, congratulations, you do not need Vedanta. And if you are indeed suffering, then austerity is needed, because suffering is nothing but the company and attachment involving wrong objects.
Austerity always involves going against oneself. It is never pleasant. Because objects are not merely present in your life, objects become a part of your being. So, when you want to drop the objects, it's not merely like letting something go casually, it's like tearing away a part of your flesh, not just opening a fist. ‘Dropping’ appears such a convenient word. Drop it! It's not like dropping it, it's about tearing it away. An object is really not present in your life if it has not become a part of your personality. When an object is present in our life, kindly see that it gains a certain permanence.
When an object enters our life, it's almost like a seed dropping on earth. They have just established a company. There is still no relationship there. The seed is sitting on the surface of the earth. Therefore, if the two are to be pulled apart, there would be no suffering, because till this point there is no attachment. What happens after two months? The roots have gone deep into the soil. Now, there is an attachment; now, the plant and the soil are one; now, the plant is a part of the soil; now, the soil is a part of the plant. So, the separation would always involve pain.
