An old man in State Bank of India was inquiring about car loan. The agent asked, “For whom you want the car?” “It’s for me”, the old man said. “And what’s your age sir?”, the agent again asked. “It’s 76!” I don’t know whether he got the loan or not. Or whether his desire (or need) to buy a car was right or not. But one thought which immediately struck me was that will there be a day in my life when all my desires (of course material) will cease to end. Will there be a day when I will not want any worldly things, I will completely feel satisfied and be at total peace?
Desires are endless, the moment one gets fulfilled, immediately the other pops up. In school I wanted the best bicycle. In college the best bike. Now the best car. In future something else will fascinate me. Many a times our desires are not for our basic needs, but it is because of social pressure or a longing to prove our worth to others. My car should be bigger than that of my neighbors, my Smartphone should be completely different than that of my friends, my television set should make people go crazy and so on. Advertisements of today are also tailor made to titillate our ego. Ads like “Neighbors envy owners pride” or “Designed for envy” try to entice people to go on reckless shopping spree.
We accumulate many things which we may not even need; it turns out to be a total wastage of money. Desires are umpteen and the craving to fulfill it keeps on torturing us every moment. Many think that with age desires keeps on dwindling. But I don’t think it really happens. With age the form of the desires changes but not the yearning. If we want to lead a peaceful life then it is imperative for us to get rid of our insatiable desires right now. Even Krishna speaks about the importance of giving up the desires in Bhagavad Gita 2.70. And he does not specify any age limit for this.
Bhagavad Gita 2.70: A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires – that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still – can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.
