Why do we have desires?

This is because, all souls desire true happiness, i.e. happiness associated with God.  To fulfill this natural desire for bliss, the mind constantly creates 'desires' every moment.  There are five types of desires - the desire to see, desire to hear, desire to smell, desire to taste and desire to touch or feel.

The mind desires to enjoy subjects related to these five senses, and it can desire for objects only in two areas - either related to God or related to Maya, the material world.  Hence, this mind can either desire for God or for material objects. There is no third area where the mind can seek for happiness.

If we believe that happiness can be achieved from this material world, we will aim to fulfill our desires in this realm. If we believe that happiness can be achieved from God, we will automatically desire to attain Him.  This is a natural tendency and not learnt from anyone.  Not just humans, but even animals and birds have this innate understanding. The mind works in accordance with the decision of the intellect, and has to desire what the intellect thinks is the source of true happiness.

svatantraḥ kriyamāṇe vai kṛito bhagavatā vidā

The material world is readily visible, but God is not easily seen. It is the nature of the mind to desire material pleasure, as it is made of the same elements (Panchmahabhut) that constitute the material world.  It is very natural and easy to get attracted to things that we can see, and we can see this material world and not God.  Although the Vedas, Shastras and Puranas praise God, and the message is repeated by the saints, our mind is not able to concentrate in that direction. The mind is easily attached to material objects of pleasure, and seeks happiness in them.

SURRENDER TO SHREE KRISHNA

       

In Bhagwad Geeta Shree Krishna tells Arjuna: “O Arjun!  Abandoning all concerns of religiosity and irreligiosity, simply surrender to Me.  Then I, who dispense justice to all, will cease to be a mere judge.  Bestowing My Grace, I will pardon all the sins of your innumerable past lives, and grant you liberation.”  This is the immense Grace of God?  In the world, even if a criminal surrenders himself to the law, he is made to suffer punishment for his past crimes.  But God is so Merciful that once you surrender to Him, He not only forgives all past deeds, but also bestows His Divine Bliss for the rest of eternity.  If this is not Causeless Grace, then what is?  Hence, the objection that God demands a price for His Grace is refuted.  If a washer man were to clean our clothes and not charge us for it, we would say that he has done us a favor, even though the clothes could become dirty again.  In comparison, when we surrender our mind and intellect to God, He cleans them forever, and that too, without any charge.  When a woman marries, she automatically becomes the owner of her husband’s property.  Similarly, when we surrender to God, we immediately become possessors of his unlimited Knowledge, Bliss and Love.

TWO CATEGORIES OF SAINTS

The first category of Saints consists of those who are saintly inwardly, and their external behavior is also Saintly. They possess Divine knowledge, realization and Bliss within them, and externally too they appear to be Saints. Their behavior is not contrary to our notion of a Saint, and hence it is easy to recognize them. However, history bears witness to the fact that very few Saints belong to this category.

The second category of Saints consists of those who are saintly inwardly, but appear to be worldly in their outward behavior. We usually judge others by their external behavior, so it becomes difficult to recognize such Saints. Most Saints belong to this category, because it is their nature to conceal themselves from the world.

“Gopaniyam Gopaniyam Gopaniyam Praynataha”

“Spiritual greatness should be kept secret, and not displayed to the world.” The possible reason for this is that it is a common notion that a good man does not declare his greatness with his own mouth. So, if a Saint were to declare his identity himself, people would never accept him as a Saint. Whatever the reason, history bears witness to the fact that most Saints appeared outwardly worldly, but they were Divine from within.

CHANT NAMES AND VIRTUES OF SHREE KRISHNA

Chanting of the names and the virtues of Shree Krishn is the supreme means. No other sadhana that can be compared to it. This chanting cleanses the mirror of the heart. It extinguishes the blazing fire of material existence. It is like the moon which blossoms the lilies of eternal welfare with its radiance. It swells the tide of the ocean of Bliss. This chanting of the Divine name makes the chanter experience its nectarine sweetness at every moment, and drowns him in an ocean of ever-increasing Bliss and peace.