Bhagavad Gita Study 34 on Desires

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Dear Mouna,

 

Thank you for your reply. I came across this conversation in Padamalia this

morning which is highly relevent to this verse.

 

P.241 in Chapter 'Advice on Sadhana'.

 

Question: How am I to deal with passions? Am I to check them or satisfy them? If

I follow Bhagavan's method and ask 'To whom are these passions?' they do not

seem to die but grow stronger.

 

Bhagavan: That only shows you are not going about my method properly. The right

way is to find out the root of all passions, the source whence they proceed, and

get rid of that. If you check the passions, they may get suppressed for the

moment, but will appear again. If you satisfy them, they will only be satisfied

for the moment and wil again crave satisfaction. Satisfying desires and thereby

trying to root them out is like trying to quench fire by pouring kerosene over

it. The only way is to find the root of desire and thus remove it.

 

2nd Jan 1946 Day by Day with Bhagavan.

 

All love,

 

Alan

 

--- On Mon, 29/9/08, upadesa <maunna wrote:

 

upadesa <maunna

Re: Bhagavad Gita Study 34

 

Monday, 29 September, 2008, 4:18 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alan Jacobs <alanadamsjacobs@ ...> wrote:

 

> Dear Mouna,

> Thank you for this precise and exact commentary on this verse. I

found it most helpful. I inserted the word evil as it was used in

Padamalai, because in some texts their is reference to the 'desire for

liberation' which is a benign desire, to be distinguished from those 

other desires which are described as 'enemies'.

 

Dear Alan,

 

I agree with you, the choice of " binding " instead of " evil " is

completely personal due to the emtional charge that word has for me.

Also, I am sure that in cultures such as India, the word " evil " has a

different connotation than catholic or protestant oriented ones like

many of our western countries. There is less guilt embeded. Even the

" evil " ones in Ramayana or Mahabharatta get " boons " from the Gods if

they do sufficient austerities, and they may even attain Realization.

Could you imagine Satan going to Heaven after doing intense tapas?

 

Thanks for the clarification.

 

All the best, Alan.

Yours in Bhagavan,

Mouna