Abstract
Within Indian thought, there is a continued discussion on the nature and merits of nivṛtti dharma versus those of pravṛtti dharma. Substantiated by the variance among the four āśramas,a the disposition to renounce the world, and the presumed superior merit of nivṛtti, pravṛtti and nivṛtti are often not only contrasted from one another and viewed as mutually exclusive enterprises, but also understood to have disparate value. This work explores the nature of pravṛtti and nivṛtti and the complex relationship between them by investigating whether it is possible for there to be nivṛtti in pravṛtti or pravṛtti in nivṛtti and whether they are of equal merit.
This work focuses its investigations by analyzing Bhagavān Svāminārāyaṇa’s (Swaminarayan’s) understanding of these two concepts as they appear in the Vacanāmṛta. Concentrating on Swaminarayan’s teachings in “Vacanāmṛta Varatāla 17,” “Vacanāmṛta Varatāla 20,” “Vacanāmṛta Gaḍhaḍā I 38,” and others, this work presents Swaminarayan’s model of pravṛtti and nivṛtti in which nivṛtti may exist in pravṛtti and pravṛtti may exist in nivṛtti. Within this model, it is emphasized that when pravṛtti is characterized by possessing conviction in the present form of God, it becomes synonymous with bhakti and facilitates attaining liberation (mokṣa). When understood in this way, both pravṛtti and nivṛtti are understood to share equal merit.
This work also explores the interpretive significance of Swaminarayan’s understanding of pravṛtti and nivṛtti. Paying particular attention to Sadhu Bhadreshdas Swami’s Īśāvāsyopaniṣad-Svāminārāyaṇabhāṣya’s reading of vidyā and avidyā and his exposition of yoga and the relationships between karmayoga, jñānayoga, and bhaktiyoga found within the Bhagavadgītā-Svāminārāyaṇabhāṣya, this work analyzes how Swaminarayan’s teachings of pravṛtti and nivṛtti are reflected within the tradition’s reading of sacred texts.
This work concludes that despite prima facie differences between pravṛtti and nivṛtti, Swaminarayan allows for both to be reconciled, which in turn, affords a particular reading of the Īśāvāsyopaniṣad and the Bhagavadgītā.