Wants and Desires
Generally we have some desires. It is quite natural. But we should not become slaves of our wishes. That means we should not have undue attachment towards the things. We see so many things with the idea of having them. This is not correct. To live in this world we need few things. Aspiring for them is not a vice. Food, water, clothes, shelter, education - all these things are necessities. We can aspire for them. So having things is not bad, but having undue attachment towards them is bad. If you are economically sound, you can have some more comforts. Otherwise you will be called a miser. But you should be in a position to live even without those comforts. That means you should always be prepared to live in all the circumstances i.e., in both favourable and unfavourable ones with utmost satisfaction and contentment. A happy man is one who lives happily in all circumstances.
Some people say that free from desires is a high condition. May be. Is it possible? Our personal experience tells that it is not possible, because God realisation is also a desire and everybody accept that it is an appropriate desire. So one thing we should have is control on ourselves. Moreover we should have discriminating power to judge which is required and which is not.
In general people are lacking in this discriminating faculty. We are getting our children educated in so many subjects, which are meant for making money, leaving aside the real education of human life. Thereby people are longing to dump the unwanted and unnecessary things indiscriminately.
Our spiritual leaders have shown a right way to own this faculty of discrimination. They formulated a fourfold method of practice called ‘Sadhana Chathustaya’. This consists of Viveka, Vyragya, Shatsampathi, and Mumukshatva. As stated above, the first one ‘Viveka’ is otherwise called as ‘discrimination’. Sri Ramachandraji Maharaj of Shajahanpur has mentioned that this Viveka and Vairagya are not the practices (sadhanas) but are the results of the practice. He wants to say that if you practice meditation, you will get Viveka, the discriminating power and thereby you develop ‘Vairagya’ i.e., disinterest in mundane, unreal and perishing things. This is the only way of conquering the desires.
Another important thing what Sri Ramachandra Maharaj tells is that we cannot completely wash off the so called vices Kama (desire) and Krodha (anger). But they can be brought to such a finer and finer level so that they may not harm us. Moreover they may help us too. For example, desires of pious people give inspiration to them to do so many good things i.e. service activities. That means they desire to do good. Without desire how can one do even good things? In the same way anger of a pious person will set right the wrongs of ordinary people. Even to send a boy to school some anger is required at times. Is this not a good thing?
But one thing to be kept in mind is that one should cultivate the habit of living with minimum facilities. One should get on with the old things as for as possible. Purchase of a new one should be avoided to the extent possible. As far as anger is concerned one should exhibit it with no cruelty in mind and heart. Only with the idea of correcting others one should show anger.
In practice one may find it difficult to show the above controlled and finer conditions of desires and Anger. Yes it is so because we try to control them. Our trial to control them will meet with failure. They should become our own naturally and automatically. This is possible only by meditation (Yoga). By doing meditation all the above virtues will be developed naturally with no separate attempt for them. In another way we can say that they are all the by-products of meditation.
Some people say that free from desires is a high condition. May be. Is it possible? Our personal experience tells that it is not possible, because God realisation is also a desire and everybody accept that it is an appropriate desire. So one thing we should have is control on ourselves. Moreover we should have discriminating power to judge which is required and which is not.
In general people are lacking in this discriminating faculty. We are getting our children educated in so many subjects, which are meant for making money, leaving aside the real education of human life. Thereby people are longing to dump the unwanted and unnecessary things indiscriminately.
Our spiritual leaders have shown a right way to own this faculty of discrimination. They formulated a fourfold method of practice called ‘Sadhana Chathustaya’. This consists of Viveka, Vyragya, Shatsampathi, and Mumukshatva. As stated above, the first one ‘Viveka’ is otherwise called as ‘discrimination’. Sri Ramachandraji Maharaj of Shajahanpur has mentioned that this Viveka and Vairagya are not the practices (sadhanas) but are the results of the practice. He wants to say that if you practice meditation, you will get Viveka, the discriminating power and thereby you develop ‘Vairagya’ i.e., disinterest in mundane, unreal and perishing things. This is the only way of conquering the desires.
Another important thing what Sri Ramachandra Maharaj tells is that we cannot completely wash off the so called vices Kama (desire) and Krodha (anger). But they can be brought to such a finer and finer level so that they may not harm us. Moreover they may help us too. For example, desires of pious people give inspiration to them to do so many good things i.e. service activities. That means they desire to do good. Without desire how can one do even good things? In the same way anger of a pious person will set right the wrongs of ordinary people. Even to send a boy to school some anger is required at times. Is this not a good thing?
But one thing to be kept in mind is that one should cultivate the habit of living with minimum facilities. One should get on with the old things as for as possible. Purchase of a new one should be avoided to the extent possible. As far as anger is concerned one should exhibit it with no cruelty in mind and heart. Only with the idea of correcting others one should show anger.
In practice one may find it difficult to show the above controlled and finer conditions of desires and Anger. Yes it is so because we try to control them. Our trial to control them will meet with failure. They should become our own naturally and automatically. This is possible only by meditation (Yoga). By doing meditation all the above virtues will be developed naturally with no separate attempt for them. In another way we can say that they are all the by-products of meditation.
A matured pious and elevated person wants, begs and prays at the threshold of the great Master for others. He wants that the whole Universe should be in a peaceful condition. See the following versus of RABIA, the Sufi Mystic:-
" O God! Whatever share of this world Thou has allotted to me
bestow it on Thine enemies. And whatever share of the next world
Thou has allotted to me bestow it on thy friends. Thou art enough for me.
" O God! If I worship Thee in fear of Hell burn me in Hell.
and if I worship Thee in hope of Paradise exclude me
from Paradise, but if I worship Thee for Thine own sake
withhold not Thine Everlasting Beauty."
Herein Rabia begs at the door of Great Master of totality for the welfare of others only. There is a fine philosophical point hidden in this prayer. If you pray for others, you are benefitting others by single hand. But at the same time you are being benifitted by the prayer of so may people in turn. This is a very very profitable method in case the majority follows it. So this is a method to be propagated.
For other details of prayer, yoga and meditation see the article "The real goal of human life" in this website.
Courtesy: Sri P.Subbarayudu,Preceptor and Sri B.E.Sampath Kumar, Abhyasi, Sri Ramachandraji Maharaj Seva Trust, Kadapa.
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