Sharing Sanjivani (Sanjivani - Life Saving Herb)

Chapter 95) How to abandon DESIRE totally? Is it possible?

(95) How to abandon DESIRE totally? Is it possible?

Vruddham cha matapitarau sadhvi bharya shishu; sut: I

Apyakaryashatam krutva Matta bharttavya Manubravit II

(Manusmruti 11/11)

A person has to feed old parents, honest wife and children even if he has to do any types of karma for their survival. According to our Shastra there are seven ways to earn our livings and fulfill essential desire to survive lives that are considered as appropriate. They are inherited property, income from the land , by selling goods, by winning in the battlefield, by earning interest on capital and by farming and by fetching charity from gentle persons of the society but if he has no source of income and he has to fulfill the desires of his old aged parents, wife and children he is permitted to sell his knowledge, do artistic work, by serving others, by animals husbandry, by opening shops to sell things, by agricultural product, by patience to live with a little things and limited sources , by begging and by earning income through interest on the capital though all these above means of income are prohibited in our Shastra for Brahmin and Kshyatriya. Then how could it be possible that a person should not desire for things and resources to survive and fulfill essentials of his family members?

When we watch T.V. or movie and by seeing the scene of serving food ,if we want to consume it how could we get it practically, when we see someone eating delicious dish on the screen ,we cannot enjoy it for us because as the picture or the scene is not going to remain steady on the screen of T.V. or theatre and the dish shown on the screen would not be served on our dining table. Secondly no desire would remain steady forever because whatever we desire are the perishable things and we would have to face shortage of those things again after consuming them or when they are finished or decayed.

We are not feeling sorry about the shortage of the things and luxuries that we don't have but we feel sorry because others ; our neighbors, our relatives , our friends ,brothers and sisters have them and we are not able to get them. It is a human nature to nurture desires for everything but we become unhappy because all the others have them and we are not able to get those luxuries like cars, bungalows or a nice group of friends. Moreover, it is said that when we consume things, we are not consuming them; they are consuming our body and senses. Everything we use to satisfy our desire, makes us disappointed when they are emptied or decayed. When a person moves in a royal car or stays in expensive hotels, enjoys life in a bungalow with servants, the poor who cannot enjoy all these gadgets suffers mentally. Luxury of a single person becomes the cause of dissatisfaction of lots of poor people in the society. Mahatma Gandhiji said in his theory of TRUSTEE SHIP that when we consume more things that our neighbors or a country men cannot have it,we are killing them and it is a violence- Sukshma Hinsa -Acute violence because when we overeat someone somewhere remains hungry. When we waste drinking pure water, waste water in showers of our bathrooms or fountains of the garden, lots of people could not get pure water to drink. God has given us this planet with abundant resources to share equally among all the livings but human greed and desires of accumulating things become the cause of injustice, war, global warming and disturbances in the heavenly arrangements and orders. Hence our Shastra says to share everything equally. We have to share food to at least five livings before we eat. A religion of an earning person in the family says that in addition to feeding his family members parents, wife and children, he has to share his food with cow, dog, ants, birds and the needy person who may be a handicapped person, a poor person or a patient suffering from deadly disease who cannot work and earn for his survival.

But when a person enjoys everything for himself only, he has to see his own downfall because he becomes the cause of killing the persons who could not have them. Have we ever think about it that a fistful rice or grains can feed how many birds or small insects when we are wasting lots of cooked food in homes and in hotels, in the parties and on the occasions of ceremonies? When a person utilize his resources for the benefits of others, his resources would increase but when he desires everything for himself only his resources would be declined day by day .The great persons utilize their body and senses , their power and strength, their skills and capabilities for the welfare of others and do not desire anything for themselves. To desire the essential things for the existence is not sin but to desire things out of greed is sin. If we are having desire to eat is not sin but to accumulate more food and store and not sharing with the needy is sin.

When one can abandon desires for himself, he would have peace of mind and would be happy because to consume the essential things for survival do not create attachment to things .But to accumulate them out of greed and think that this treasure would give him happiness becomes the cause of violence and war in the world. Hence to desire things more than our necessity is sin. To desire things more and more means to snatch away 'Rights' of others and deprived them from having them for their survival. Hence our Shastra considers desire is the root cause of all sins. To remain free from this desire we have to think all the resources that I have, is for the services of others, my body and senses, mind and intellect, skills and strength are the instruments and sources that I have to use for the welfare of others selflessly.

Then what are the methods to train our mind that desires nothing?

Let's learn from our Lord Shri Krishna......