The Inner Secret of Desire
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Maharajji Kripalu says that if we have material desire in our heart, we will perform all kinds of sin in order to fulfill that desire. If it is fulfilled, then greed will arise. If you gained something, then greed developed. Again you got that, again your greed increased. Even Indra desires Brahma’s abode. This problem extends to the celestial abodes also. A person who does 1000 ashwamedh yagyas can earn the seat of Indra. He becomes prideful. All the celestial gods serve him. But he hasn’t found happiness or peace. Desire, anger, greed, delusion, jealousy, animosity – they are all there. It is all within the realm of maya. And even if we went to Brahma’s abode, Brahmlok, we have to return back to this earth. There is no happiness there either. True happiness is only in the ocean of happiness, sat-chit-anand Shree Krishn.
So if desires are fulfilled, greed develops; if not, then anger. If someone is intelligent, they will cut their desires. If the root is cut, the tree will fall. The tree won’t fall if the branch is cut. And if you cut the branches of some trees, it grows back in a more alarming form. Therefore, all of the scriptures tell us to eliminate desires. Become desireless (poornkam). Poornkam means having no desires. Akaam, nishkaam, poornkaam, aatmraam – these are all synonymous.
A person might wonder how he could eliminate desires, when desiring happiness is our nature, and as long as happiness is not attained, one must form desires. No one can leave desire. Desires are such that as long as they are in your mind, you don’t get a break from them for even a moment. The mind always joins the soul. Wherever the soul may go in the 8.4 million species of life, the mind remains with it, and as long as the mind exists, it will form desires. What kind of desires will it form? There is a difference of opinion. Happiness is desired through desires for money, possessions, relations – but the final aim of all of these is to get happiness. It is only for happiness that we perform any kind of work. If a person said, “I won’t do anything. I’ll just lay here with a blanket over me.” This is also an action. If you go to sleep – this is an action. As long as you don’t attain happiness, you are bound to perform action.