True Happiness is in Desirelessness
Bhagavad Gita Verse 2.59 Explained
Introduction
Bhagavad Gita is a conversation between Krishna and Arjun. This dialogue begins just before the war of Mahabharata is about to begin. On seeing his family in opposition, Arjun is gripped with fear and confusion and wants to run away, but Krishna convinces him to fight and tells Arjun why he today must raise his weapons to kill his brothers and relatives in this war.
Bhagavad Gits teaches us how to live life!
The core message of the Bhagavad Gita is considered very powerful for it can fundamentally transform the way you live your life. Bhagavad Gita is also called a summary of Vendantic Knowledge or simply ancient Knowledge.
Bhagavad Gita is crystallized form of the Hindu thought.
Bhagavad Gita is 700 verses long, spread across 18 chapters. Here we will understand Verse 59 of Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita.
Verse 2.59
विषया विनिवर्तन्ते निराहारस्य देहिन: |
रसवर्जं रसोऽप्यस्य परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते || 2.59||
vishaya vinivartante niraharasya dehinah
rasa-varjam raso apyasya param drishtva nivartate
Translation
The one with “Dehi” (soul) may practice restraint and withdraw senses away from sense objects but still, the desire to taste such sensual pleasures remains.
However, for those who experience the “Param” (The Absolute), even this desire for the taste of sensual pleasures ceases to exist.
Commentary
Krishna in this verse talks about “Desire” and the human behaviour towards desire.
Krishna says that Desire is a fundamental truth of human experience. The human life itself is a manifestation of desires. Whatever we humans aspire to in life is nothing but Desire.
However, the Vedas say that a true Yogi, the enlightened ones, the Buddhas of the world, are the ones who attain the state of Desirlessness!
So in some ways, “desirelessness” can be said to be the ultimate goal of any spiritual aspirant. However, the irony of this statement is that seeking the “state of Desirelessness” is also a Desire!
Also the “want” to stay in that “state of Desirelessness” is also a form of desire.
This sounds confusing, right?
Well, let's try to simplify this!
A Yogi desires for Desirelessness
The ultimate goal of a Yogi or a spiritual aspirant is to enter into a “state of Desirelessness”. So in all his journey, he seeks, he desires. And when he enters this “state of Desirelessness”, he wants to stay there, which is also a Desire!
Hence we can say that one desires until that moment when he has nothing to Desire. He just IS!
A simple way to understand this is Meditation.
Meditation is an experience of Desirelessness
Meditation is the space between your thoughts!
When a person is in Meditation (more precisely in Dhyaan), he is not having any thoughts. When there is no thought in mind, in that moment, there is NO Desire!
A desire needs a thought to grip you. Without a thought, Desire can not exist!
We must thus understand that “state of Desirelessness” is indeed the “state of Thoughtlessness”
Samadhi = Thoughtlessness= Desirelessness
Vedas describe this state as SAMADHI- a state where the meditator loses the sense of self, and blends into thoughtlessness.
Samadhi is a state where the Yogi immerses himself into the lake of nothingness, and becomes one with this lake, which is unlike anything, hence called Nothingness. It is just a pool of energy.
Imagine yourself to be a bubble of air, and blend with the wind. Will you still think of yourself as a bubble or will you see yourself, become the wind?
If you are a drop of water, and then this drop is mixed with the ocean, will you be still a drop or become the Ocean itself?
Well, the answer is obvious.
We are all parts and in a state of Samadhi, we become the whole!
We are figments of this Universe, a drop in this ocean of universal energy. In the state of Samadhi, we become the Universe itself. The drop becomes the Ocean!
True Desirelessness can only be in Thoughtlessness
So while one thinks, there is always a desire. It is impossible for the desire to not exist. Desire is the reason we are alive and the universe exists. The want to breathe is also a desire!
But at the same time, for the majority of our lives, we breathe without any thought in mind. This is an example of the fact that one can act while being in thoughtlessness. This is nothing but Meditation explained in a complex manner.
In Meditation also, one focuses on his breath and breathes. There is no thought, just the breath. And in that experience, we live. That is the “state of Desirelessness”, and hence all Yogi, all enlightened ones, all wise men, meditate!
Meditation is Desirelessness!
But what about the times when we are not meditating?
Life is not always meditation. Well, not for a common man. A true Yogi attains a state when he is always in Meditation.
But it is really possible? Can such perfection really exist?
The answer is both yes and no.
Yes, because it is the goal of every Yogi. And there are some who have attained this state of thoughtlessness. The history is filled with many names.
And
No, because it is not possible to remain in such perfection forever as your mortal existence has limitations. One can be in an extended state of Samadhi, for minutes, for hours, for days, for years, for decades, for millennia. But, either such a person becomes one with the universe in his state of absolute perfection or he returns to the flawed state of human existence.
For most of us, Meditation is a just for few minutes in a day, rest of the day is replete with thoughts. The ones who are advanced Yogis might experience the state of meditation for a few hours, but they too return back to mundane human experience, without a choice.
So it can be said that the majority of our life is filled with thoughts and hence filled with Desires. This is a truth which we all have experienced. Just close your eyes right now and ask yourself, what do you desire? A few thoughts will appear which will speak to you in the silence and darkness of of your mind. This is the Desire speaking to us!
If Desire is a Book, thoughts are the paragraphs!
Hence, the life of a “man” is a web of Desires.
Life is a book of Desires!
Now if life is full of desires, then what does Krishna mean in this verse? Is the “state of Desirelessness” just a fictitious concept? Is it even practical to aspire for such a “state of Desirelessness”?
Well, the answer lies in practicality.
If a runner desires to run and complete a marathon race one day, then he has to start by running small distances and gradually build up stamina. Over months and years of practice shall be able to run a marathon which is almost 42kms in distance. But if the same person thinks that I will run it without practice, then it will not happen. And again, if one thinks that such a goal is impossible for him, then also it will not happen. For he has given up even before starting.
The point is that whatever one aspires in life, to attain it the first step is to believe in himself and to believe that it can happen. Without absolute faith, success is impossible. And without practice, desire is just wishful thinking!
So to attain the “state of Desirelessness”, first needs to believe that such a thing is possible and set towards attaining it. This journey is not going to be easy, rather it would be a like climbing a tall mountain. It will take years of practice, hard work, discipline, and immense self-belief. Without faith, climbing a mountain is impossible.
Desirelessness is like the peak of a mighty Mountain
But this “state of Desirelessness” is like a mountain, which is so tall, that only a few have experienced its peak! And they too couldn’t stay here long, for they had to defend. Only the rare ones have managed to stay on this peak forever and they did by becoming the mountain itself!
So anyone can climb this mountain the peak of which is the “state of Desirelessness”, but one needs to have faith, and one needs to practice with discipline! Without taking the first step, the journey will never begin.
So is life! Desires drive life. But there as well, is a choice for all of us. This choice is about selecting which Desires shall we pursue?
It is like deciding which mountains shall be climbed. One can choose to climb all mountains, which is like saying that he desires everything. But when you desire everything, you end up getting nothing.
Our existence is limited. Our life is not endless. Death is the end of all. And between our birth and death, is the life we live. Even in this limited life, there is only a limited period of time when our energy is at its peak. Think of Youth. Can every old man of age 80 years climb Mount Everest? Well most won’t even be able to climb simple stairs.
Hence we need to limit our desires. We really need to think about which desires we want to spend our life on. It is like deciding that these are the mountains which I shall climb. Once this list is made, the goals become clear. One can then start practising, start imagining, start working, start climbing. And with time and with the right intent, with immense faith, one shall climb these mountains one day.
But if you want to climb the highest mountain of all, the mythical mount Meru, the mountain which is like none in this universe, then you need to invest all your energy and dedicate your life towards climbing this mountain. No less effort will work. Even your best might not be enough. For it is a journey which only a few complete in life.
This mountain, which is the tallest of all, is the “state of Desirelessness”. One needs to make it the goal of his life to climb it and invest all energies towards it. It is possible that you might not make it to the top in this life, but with effort and faith, you will for sure climb higher than anyone else.
The beauty of life is that you can continue your journey in your next life, provided your desire was strong enough. You might take time to figure out your starting point, the point where you last stopped, but you will figure out at some point in life and the moment you do, the journey will make you move. The desire to attain the “state of Desirelessness” is something which lasts for many lifetimes, until it is attained. And when it is attained, there is no re-birth, for there is nothing to be attained.
You become the Goal and hence there is no journey!
When there is Desire, there is life!
This is the concept of re-birth or “punar janm” in Vendant. It simply means that all lives put together are like a journey. Each life is a manifestation of some desires, and you will keep on getting re-born until you desire no more!
Rebirth stops when one attains the true “state of Desirelessness”. This is called as Moksha.
So Moksha can be called as a Samadhi which lasts for eternity!
But until you reach this ultimate goal of Moksha, which is perfection, you will have to continue the climb on the mountains of your choice.
Nothing stops one from living his Desires, you can desire as much as you want. But at the end of the day, a desire is an unfinished journey, which binds you to a path of seeking. You become a slave to your desires and you feel you are free but you are in reality bound.
Desire is an illusion
And at the end of it all. One thinks that the attainment of desire shall give lasting happiness. But this is the greatest illusion of all. The moment you get what you want, you feel joy, you feel pleasure. And all of a sudden that pleasure is gone. You start desiring something else. Most times these new desires, these new cravings come into our life, just before we are about to attain one desire!
So it is an illusion as there is no permanent happiness in the attainment of a desire. One Desire leads to another and another and another, and the cycle goes on. Happiness is never permanent, and that is the truth of life. In fact happiness is short lived and that is what makes a human desire.
Then what must we Desire in life?
Well, there is no right answer to this. Everyone has a free-will to decide what they want to chase in life. Everyone has the freedom to choose what they want to desire in life.
But since all desires are never-ending journeys, there is a trick which enlightened men use to live life.
They shun all selfish desires, and they choose to pursue desires which are selfless in nature. A selfless desire is one which benefits others, one which is devoid of any hidden selfish motive.
The world works in the opposite fashion. Most people have a selfish motive hidden behind everything they seek. Only a few rare ones are those who are truly selfless.
But the interesting point is that “having a life full of selfless Desires” is like living a life while being in the “state of Desirelessness”. And knowing this is true wisdom!
Across millions of years, the ones who have understood this, have pursued this path of selfless life. In that process, such people have attained a state which is beyond happiness and grief. It is a state of permanent peace. They rise above the world and its miseries and its pleasures. And in this state, they attain true bliss. This is the “state of Desirelessness”.
The universe loves such people, and often they are etched in the history of humanity. Looking at any name which is timeless and you will see that they lived a life which was dedicated to the benefit of the world. They were selfless in their endeavours. There are thousands of enlightened beings who have walked this earth. We don’t remember the names of many, but we still in the world which they built, we still dwell in thoughts that they first manufactured. Without such great and selfless beings, the world we live in wouldn’t exist.
And thus we must all realise this eternal truth.
The secret of true and lasting happiness is in living a life devoid of selfishness!
So what does Krishna mean in this verse?
Krishna is saying that life is full of cravings. Even if one chooses to drop a desire and pursue any other desire, there will always remain a craving.
The nature of desire is that of a dream, you only dream of things which are not with you!
When you break-up with your lover, it is never easy. But you have taken the decision for the best and this means things will never be the same ever again. You can be friends but never lovers!
But despite the fact that now you are not together, isn’t there a desire to taste that relationship in some form? That craving might be in the form of a desire to kiss your lover for one more time, to have sex with them one more time, to hug them one more time, to laugh with them one more time, to just spend time together forgetting everything, just one more time.
You might have moved on, but the desire to taste remains.
Well, if you haven’t fallen in love, then you must have desired someone who couldn’t get. Imagine that in your head and you will know.
A more simple and straight forward example is food. The most fundamental desire of humans is to eat. Now imagine if you are on a diet and you have decided not to eat pizza for a few months. You might be very disciplined and focused and might be eating healthy food. But, there will always be a desire to taste that one bite of pizza! Why? well, just because you have decided not to have it. And now your mind subconsciously wants it even more.
This is what Krishna means. That no matter what you have given up in life, the desire to taste it will always remain. This is true for a common man, and this is true for a Yogi.
The craving to taste only goes away, when one has mastered his mind to a degree that there are no thoughts i.e. when there is thoughtlessness. And this thoughtlessness is indeed Meditation. And when one Meditates often and regularly, and makes it a lifestyle, such a person starts experiencing the “state of Desirelessness” on a regular basis, and for such a person the craving to taste, gradually diminishes, for in the state of thoughtlessness he experiences the ultimate truth of life that “Desire is an illusion” and that “true happiness is in a living a life of selflessness”.
Krishna says that when one attains such enlightenment, gradually he develops the power of rising above selfish cravings for pleasure and their resolve for helping the universe in their own ways becomes stronger. Such beings live a life of true happiness and they attain Moksha by getting free from the cycle of life and death! These are the true Yogis!
If the “state of Desirelessness” had a name, then it would be called as “Param Anand” or Supreme Bliss.
And this the mountain which one must aspire to climb, for this journey is above all journeys and if and when you complete it, there will be no journey, there will be no more climb, for you will become the destination, for you will become it mountain itself!
Chapter 2 to be continued..
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Hare Krishna
