Inquiries Into the Absolute: Digest 119, Thoughts Lead to Desires;

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Digest 119, April 1st, 2005. Answers by His Holiness Romapada Swami Maharaja

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Thoughts Lead to Desires; Activities and Desires Lead to Thoughts

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Q 1: What is the correlation between desires and thoughts? How are one's

desires manifest into thoughts?

 

Answer: Thinking, feeling, and then willing are the sequential steps that lead

connect thoughts to desires, and these are manifested as activities of the

mind. In its pure state, thinking, feeling and willing are all centered on

Krishna and His service. In the conditioned state, the mind is almost always

thinking about objects of the senses. The conditioned mind is described as

having a binary function - accepting and rejecting. Based on our likes and

dislikes, we are always accepting some thoughts related to corresponding sense

objects which we consider desirable and rejecting others as undesirable.

 

Bhagavad-Gita (2.62-63 http://vedabase.net/bg/2/62/en) describes that by

contemplating sense objects, attachment and desires develop; when the wilful

attempts to fulfill those desires are hampered, it further leads to anger,

bewilderment of memory, loss of intelligence etc. In turn, our thoughts reflect

a composite of our most prominent desires and activities. The mind is the root

cause of all of these phenomena.

 

Q 2: Also, do we have control over our desires and thoughts?

 

Answer: We can have control over desires and thoughts, however it is also

possible that our desires control us! Krishna explains that intelligence is

superior to the mind, intelligence is superior to the mind, and the soul is

even higher. One can thus steady the mind's functions with the help of

spiritually strengthened intelligence. (See BG 3.42-43

http://vedabase.net/bg/3/42/en)

 

The whole yoga process - whether it is bhakti-yoga, dhyana-yoga or jnana-yoga -

is aimed at controlling the mind. Throughout the Gita, Krishna often addresses

this: Bg 2.58-64,70, 6.5-6, 6.24-26, 8.6-8, 17.16 (http://vedabase.net/bg/) to

name a few.

 

With practice, the mind can be trained to think only of beneficial thoughts and

even better, Krishna-centered thoughts. The sublime and most effective process

recommended in this age for training the mind is chanting of the maha-mantra:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama

Rama Hare Hare. Similarly by developing, in good association, attachment for

Krishna and things related to Him effects detachment from lower desires.

 

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