।। Shri Paramatmane Namah ||
|| Shri Harih ||
A general misconception regarding the teachings of Gita is that Gita asks us to give up desires altogether, but how can one survive if one gives up all desires? After all, the very motivation to earn a living and sustain oneself comes from our desires, isn't it?
To understand this concept, we need to first understand the exact meaning or implication of the word "kaam" or "desire" as used in Gita.
Hence this Part-1 contains the following topics:
- What is the meaning of having desires
- Why to remove desires
Part -2 contains the topics:
- How can one survive without desires
- Why would one act without having a motivating desire
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF HAVING DESIRES?
A great Saint, Swamiji Shri Ramsukhdasji, whose practical guidance inspired thousands of people and improved their lives, said that for the purpose of practically following Gita in life, the explanation of "desire" that he arrived at after a lot of contemplation was "insistence". "Any thing should happen only in this particular way, and it must not happen in that particular way" - this is insistence.
Eg. "I must have this type of food, and not that", "My friends/family must treat me in this way, and they must not treat me in that way", "I must get this type of job/salary, and not that type", etc, these are all examples of insistence.
Please note, it is human nature to have "likes" or "inclinations" (described as "Raag" in Gita) towards favorable things and "dislikes" or "repulsions" (termed as "dvesh" in Gita) from unfavorable things, and although having likes and dislikes too is a flaw according to Gita, yet a beginner cannot be expected to be free from them without practice, it can only come through practice of Gita. Hence, the difference between "inclinations" and "insistence" should be clear.
As a beginner, we may not be able to remove our likes/dislikes, but it is completely in our hands to see whether we insist upon fulfilling our "inclinations" or not.
For example, if you want something, but other people want something different, then politely explain to them your reasoning, but within your mind, do not have the insistence that they will listen to you.
For example, we sit down for dinner, but we do not like what has been prepared. In this case, if we insist upon having a particular type of food, then that will cause problems. Instead we may just request the person cooking to prepare something we like and leave it there. Therefore, even though we may have an inclination, we must not insist. Is there a rule that only others must listen to you? Why not you listen to them instead?
WHY TO REMOVE DESIRES
Desires give rise to other flaws such as worries, anger, hatred etc when we insist upon their fulfillment. Apply this to any situation in life and see. Immense peace comes through giving up insistence, try and see. I am writing out of my own experience and the experience of my family and close friends who too applied this philosophy in their life and testified for its effects. All worries spring only from insistence. A common phrase being used to explain this policy is "Let Go".
Further, as long as we insist upon fulfilling our likes/dislikes, we will never be able to remove them. Every time we fulfill our desire, it grows only bigger and stronger. Gita gives a great analogy -Desires are like fire. If you add ghee (clarified butter) to fire, the fire doesn't get extinguished, rather it grows even bigger and wants more fuel. To put out a fire, first we need to stop putting in the fuel. Same way, the only way to root out desires is to stop fulfilling them, or putting it in a more practical manner - stop insisting upon fulfilling your likes/dislikes.
However, "not insisting" does not mean "compromising even in the wrong place". When to insist and when not to shall be discussed in some other post. Here I want to elaborate on the view that we can indeed have a very satisfying and happy life even with zero desires.
Click Here to read the next part.
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