Our desires determine our destiny. Right desires bring glory and wrong desires bring infamy.
Can we think of any moment when our heart had no desire? If we introspect, we will find that we always carry some desire in our heart. Some desires are too strong, and some are milder. It does not depend on whether we are young or old, rich or poor, we always look for something in our life.
If we have no desire, then we are like stones.
So, it is important that we cultivate right desires. And it is equally important that we weed out wrong desires from our heart. Our suffering is directly proportional to the kind of desires we choose to have in our heart.
So, we should carefully analyse our life and see if our desires and the activities we are doing to fulfil those desires is bringing happiness or is making us miserable. Many times, we continue with our old wrong desire because we do not pause for a moment and reflect on our life.
Prostitute Piṅgalā becomes Peaceful Pingala
Srimad Bhagavatam tells the story of a lady, Pingala, who by giving up wrong desires attained peace. She was a prostitute. One evening she dressed herself gorgeously and decorated herself with beautiful ornaments. She thought that if she will look attractive then she will be able to attract wealthy men who will satisfy her physically and pay her good amount of money.
With this desire she went outside her house trying to entice men.
But unfortunately, no one came to her. She tried hard but still no one even looked at her. She felt disgusted, became morose. But she also became thoughtful. She began contemplating on the desires she carried in her heart.
Piṅgalā understood that because of lusty desire, she is suffering and torturing herself.
She thought, “I am living in illusion that lust will gratify me, but it has never made me happy. It has always made me miserable but foolishly I try again and again to fulfil my lusty desires. Instead of desiring to enjoy with others, if I just desire to serve the lotus feet of the Lord then all my miseries will go away.”
As soon as her heart enlightened with this thought she became peaceful and felt relief from the miseries she was experiencing within.
“Material desire is undoubtedly the cause of the greatest unhappiness, and freedom from such desire is the cause of the greatest happiness. Therefore, completely cutting off her desire to enjoy so-called lovers, Piṅgalā very happily went to sleep.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.8.44
We fear giving up material desires
We are also suffering because we have chosen to nurture wrong desires in our heart. So, like Pingala, we should carefully identify the desires which are causing us great pain and with determination we should give it up.
Giving up lower desires become easy when we cultivate higher desires which gives us higher taste, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate, Bhagavad Gita 2.59. Initially we many find it difficult to say goodbye to bad desires.
Just like a drug addict fear giving up drug thinking that he cannot live without it. Similarly, many times we fear giving up bad desires fearing that without it we cannot live it.
I remember seeing a video of the people in drug rehabilitation centre. One of the inmates was sharing his experience that he could not think of a day living without drugs. He thought that if he will not take drugs then he won’t survive. He could not believe that he can live without it.
But there are millions of people who live without even touching drugs. But this person was thinking that he will die without drugs.
Similarly, we are also addicted to material desires. And we think that we will die without those desires. So, when we are asked to give it up then we are fearful.
How it becomes possible to fearlessly give up material desires?
Now, for a drug addict it becomes easy to give up addiction in a rehabilitation centre because the expert doctors treat them and in the association of those who are trying to give up addiction, they also feel encouraged to give up his habit.
Similarly, giving up wrong desires become easy when we associate with those who do not have any material desires in their heart. The saintly people who are always absorbed in chanting and serving the Lord does not carry an iota of worldly desires in their heart.
If we associate with such souls, then it becomes easy for us to understand that we can live safely without material desires. And when we see them happily serving the Lord then we become convinced that we can be happy without worldly desires.
Also, because of their purity and expertise in scriptural knowledge they can expertly guide us in transcending those desires which gives us great suffering.
Examples of those who changed their destiny by giving up material desires
There are so many examples of people who were able to give up all abominable activities which they had developed because of cultivating wrong desires by associating with great souls.
In recent times, we have examples of hippies who were indulging in so many sinful activities. They were drug addicts, had illicit relationships with members of opposite gender, ate non vegetarian food and so on.
But when they began associating with Srila Prabhupada then they were able to quickly give up all wrong habits. Earlier they had the desire to enjoy materially as much as possible. But by being with Srila Prabhupada they could clearly understand that material desires are not taking them anywhere.
Change destiny by flooding heart with spiritual desires.
In fact, such longings are the cause of great pain and lamentation. Instead, if heart is flooded with spiritual desires and longs always to serve the Lord and his devotees then one experiences great pleasure.
Because of Srila Prabhupada’s association and guidance these hippies became great devotees of Krishna. Their future was bleak, destiny was to suffer, but by nurturing right desires they changed their destinty. Many of them have become sannyasis and are travelling all over the world spreading the glories of Krishna, making people devotees of Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada established Iskcon, so that like-minded people can come together and get purified by chanting the names of Krishna and by serving Krishna. In Iskcon temples, we get an opportunity to associate with spiritually minded people who are sincerely trying to serve the Lord.
Iskcon is a great gift of Srila Prabhupada to entire humanity.
At Iskcon, in the association of spiritually surcharged devotees it becomes easy to cultivate spiritual desires and also it is easy to give up material desires. Also, if we regularly read the books of Srila Prabhupada and hear his lectures then it also helps us to purge our heart of sinful desires.
Srila Prabhupada’s teachings help us to understand that how material desires bind us in this world and gives us great trouble. And we also understand how to develop spiritual desires.
So, like the fortunate hippies who got association of Srila Prabhupada, we too will be able to change our destiny by having spiritual desires in our heart.
Once our heart will get flooded with spiritual desires and we start experiencing happiness in serving the Lord then all our miseries will vanish just like darkness disappears as soon as the sun rises.
We will then attain perfection and will be always joyful.
