Pujya Ramsukhdasji Maharaj

[Guest guest]

On Three Types of Desires

 

The desires that remain in a man are of three types -

 

" Kaamnaa, Jigyaasaa, Laalsaa " - Desire for sensual enjoyments and pleasures

(pertaining to the body) and desire for hoarding - these

are called " Kaamnaa " (Sensual Desires). The quest to know the

attributeless Essence (nirgun tattva) by the Self of is called

" Jigyaasaa " and the deep longing to behold Bhagwaan (God) is called

" Laalsaa " .

 

The worldly desires are mistakenly created, since there is both a part

of Paramatma and part of Nature (Prakriti) in a Jeev. Jeevaatma

(embodied soul) is a part of Paramatma (Supreme Consciousness)

" Mamevaansho Jeevaloke " and the body is a part of Nature " Prakriti " -

" Manashasthaani indriyaani prakritisthaani " (Gita 15/7). The desire to

know the Self is called " Jigyaasaa " - Who am I? And how can I behold

God? How can I develop love for Him? - This longing to attain Bhagwaan

is " laalsaa " . Both the quest to know (jigyaasaa) and the longing to

attain / behold Bhagwaan (Laalsaa) are our wants, but the desire for

sense enjoyments (Kaamnaa) is not ours. This is because both jigyaasaa

and laalsaa are of the essence of Real (Truth, Eternal), whereas

" Kaamnaa " is of " asat " (unreal, temporary).

 

Kaamnaa (sensual desires) is related to the body. Many brothers and

sisters consider this body as the main thing. But in reality, it is not the main

thing. It is the indweller in the body that is the main. The body is like

clothes. Just like a man removes old clothes and puts on new ones, similarly the

indweller in the body leaves old bodies and puts on new ones. The body changes

constantly. Therefore the desires arising due to the body are not ours.

 

There are many names to desires pertaining to the body and the world;

just like desire for sensual pleasures, hopes and wishes, fancy and

imagination, passion, deep longing, thirst, desires that torment etc.

Desires such as - acquiring certain things, acquiring some wealth,

experiencing sense pleasures, having a family, having a house etc. are

not true desires. Such desires are in all different life forms. But

man's desires are different. Similarly each different species has

some different desires. The point is that as the bodies change, the

desires change too. A tree desires soil and water. When they get those

things then the tree becomes green and when they don't get these then

they begin to wilt and dry up. But " quest to know " (jigyaasaa) and

" longing for the Divine " (laalsaa) are only in human birth, not in other forms

of birth. Because all the other forms of life are only for

enjoying or suffering the consequences of all past actions " bhog yoni " . In these

other forms of births, the only desire is to experience enjoyment / suffering

related to the senses.

 

It is only in human birth that there is desire to know its creator! In

this very birth we can know ourselves (true nature), we can realize God and we

can develop divine Love. After receiving this human birth, if this work does not

get done, then this human body that we have received is of no use! This human

birth is wasted away without attaining its purpose!