74 TheSpiritualLife.
renunciation bythe knowledgethatif therebe
no desire then no chains of Karma are made
which draw the Self back to re-birth. And,
markyou-forIwantyoutokeepthisinmind,
andyouwillseewhypresently-itisessentially
the renunciation of the man who knowsthat
while he desireshe is bound to the wheelof
births and of deaths, and thatno liberation is
possible for him, save as these bonds of the
heartarebroken. Then,realisingthis,if heis
stillcompelledtoact,hewillactwithoutdesire;
if heiscompelled to liveamongst men hewill
do his work careless of the results that flow
therefrom. Renunciation which is complete,
but renunciation for the sake of escape, re-
nunciationinorderthathemaygainhisfreedom
andescapefromtheburdenoftheworld. And
sooncemoreitiswrittenthat:-
WhentheyhavereachedtheSelf[thatis,whenthey
have realised Brahman] the Sages become satisfied
through knowledge; theyare consciousoftheirSelf,
theirpassionshavepassedawayandtheyaretranquil.
The wise having reached Him who is omnipresent
everywhere,anddevoted totheSelf,entermtoHim
wholly.*That, then, is the goal of this Path of
Knowledge; a lofty state, a state supremely
*"Mundakopanishad,"iii.II.5.