Desires are recognized in spiritual circles as dangerous –
they can drag seekers into the darkness of illusion in the vain pursuit of
worldly pleasures that turn out to be disappointing and entangling.
Accordingly, the Bhagavad-gita (02.70) urges us to not become desirers of
desire (na kama-kami). This usage implies a deliberate disregard of degrading
desires even while they are present.
Spiritual desire brings Krishna to the door of our heart,
and opens its door for him to enter and eventually be enthroned as our Lord.
Yet the Gita doesn’t sentence us to denial of all desire.
Instead, it espouses the path of bhakti-yoga that centers on redirecting the
power of desire from the world to Krishna. In fact, desire for Krishna is the
pre-condition for his self-revelation. Only when we desire to know and love
Krishna and express that desire by serving him does he choose to reveal himself
in a way that charms our heart. Put another way, spiritual desire brings
Krishna to the door of our heart, and opens its door for him to enter and
eventually be enthroned as our Lord. The Bhagavad-gita depicts Arjuna’s desire
to hear Krishna’s glories as manifest in the world so that he can spiritualize
his perception of the world (10.17). Far from reproaching him for this desire,
Krishna expresses delight (10.19) and speaks his glories – glories that
dissipate Arjuna’s illusions (11.01) and enlighten him about Krishna’s position
(11.02).
Further, desires for Krishna – to know him, love him and
serve him – intensify our remembrance of him, which is the source of great
happiness. Such happiness by satisfying our innate need for pleasure empowers
us to resist more firmly the worldly desires that distract or slow us during
our spiritual journey.
Thus, the redefinition of desire through bhakti most
efficaciously curbs worldly desires and also opens the doors for us to come
closer to Krishna – to comprehending him, serving him, perceiving him, loving
him, and relishing him.
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