IS DESIRE AN EVIL ?

New Year Lecture by Swami Paramarthananda

Transcribed by Sri VLN Prasad

Published by :

Arsha Avinash Foundation

104 Third Street, Tatabad, Coimbatore 641012, India
Phone: +91 9487373635
E mail: arshaavinash@gmail.com
www.arshaavinash.in
General Talks Is Desire an Evil?

Is Desire an Evil?

sadāsiva samārambhām sankarāchārya madhyamām

asmad āchārya paryantām vande guru paramparām
Among all the living beings, the human beings are considered to be the
superior most, the powerful one. The superiority of human beings is
mentioned in the scriptures also. For the human superiority, the
scriptures give one reason. The reason according to the scriptures is that
the human beings are endowed with three fold powers.
These three powers are known as Icchā Shaktihi, Gnyāna Shaktihi and
Kriyā Shaktihi. Icchā Shakti means the power to desire - the desiring
power. Gnyāna Shakti is the power to know - the knowing power. Kriyā
Shakti is the power to do - the doing power. It is because of this
threefold power that the human beings are superior to all other living
beings.
Because of Gnyāna Shakti, we have got so many research centers and
educational institutions which we don’t find among the animals. The
body knowledge is expanding forever and libraries and libraries are
made. All these are possible because of the Gnyāna Shakti of the human
beings. Gnyāna Shakti alone is not enough.
It has been complemented by the Kriyā Shaktihi also - converting
knowledge into technology because of which the very face of earth has
undergone a change. We can find the influence of science and
technology anywhere we see. If mere science alone is there, we cannot
enjoy benefits. Science has to be converted into all these wonderful
equipments.
Now I am able to talk to hundreds of people effortlessly because of the
mike system which is the contribution of science and technology. This
mike is - Gnyāna Shakti + Kriyā Shakti. When we upload this talk in the
website, which is another product of Gnyāna Shakti and Kriyā Shakti,
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the whole world is able to access the talk in one day! It is because of
Gnyāna Shakti + Kriyā Shakti.
When this talk is recorded and preserved in digital format, generations
after generation are able to access because of Gnyāna Shakti + Kriyā
Shakti. We will find that because of these two powers, we are able to be
superior to all other living beings. Equally important is the Icchā Shakti
also. It is the Icchā Shakti, the power to desire which is the driving
force of behind Gnyāna Shakti and Kriyā Shakti.
Suppose I have power to know but I don’t have a desire to know. The
power to know is useless if I don’t have the desire to know. Similarly, I
might have power to do also but doing power is useless if I don’t have a
desire to do. Therefore, power to know and power to do, both are made
meaningful only because of power to desire.
So, the desire power is the driving source behind knowing power and
doing power. Desiring power alone makes the knowing power and
doing power meaningful. Therefore, in our tradition, we respect all these
three powers equally. We worship all these three powers equally. If any
one of the three is absent, the other two will become purposeless.
Therefore, we look upon these threefold power as a blessing from the
Lord and when we worship the Lord, we invoke the grace - Icchā
Shakti, Gnyāna Shakti, Kriyā Shakti Swarūpini. In Lalitā Sahasranāma,
one of the Nāma’s is - O Goddess, you are there in me, your grace is
there in me in the form of Icchā Shakti, Gnyāna Shakti and Kriyā
Shakti.
We have got temples for Icchā Shakti separately. Around Madras itself,
there are three Devi Temples - one dedicated to Icchā Shakti, another
for Gnyāna Shakti and another for Kriyā Shakti. There are people who
visit these three temples on a Pournami day so that we will have the
blessings of all these three. Thus, desire is a blessing, knowledge is a
blessing and action is also a blessing.
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We consider all these three as a blessing because of which we are

superior to all other living beings. But we do face a problem. What is
the problem? We look upon the desire as a blessing of goddess Icchā
Shakti. But in several other places in the scriptures themselves, desire is
strongly condemned.
In one place we glorify desire as Icchā Shakti a blessing from goddess.
But in several other places, the very same scriptures condemn desire.
Desire is looked upon as an internal enemy. While enumerating the six
fold internal enemies, the first one enumerated is Kāmaha. Among the
internal enemies (Kāma, Krōdha, Lōbha, Mōha), the first one is
considered to be Kāmaha, desire.
In Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna called Kāma as a great Pāpi, a sinner. In
many other places, Kāma is a taken as a curse. In all our scriptures,
liberation is defined as total destruction of all desires - prajahāti yadā
kāmān sarvān pārtha manōgatān. What are we saying here? Kāma, the
desire is presented as a curse.
There is a popular English proverb also - Desire is the root cause of all
evil. Now, scriptures are confusing us. One side, desire is taken as a
blessing of Icchā Shakti. In another place, desire is considered as a
curse. Now, our problem is - which one is correct? Is desire a blessing
or is desire an evil, a curse?
We should get an answer to the question because the very New Year
resolve is based on - what? What is the New Year resolve? It is an
expression of our desire. So if desire is curse, we have to drop all our
New Year resolves (if we have any). If desire is blessing, I can happily
take any number of resolves. Therefore, we have to know whether
desire is a blessing or curse.
What is the scriptural stand because they seem to contradict themselves?
Our answer is - desire and desiring power is a blessing. Desire and the
power to desire is a blessing in the form of the Icchā Shakti because of
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which alone, we are able to make use of our Gnyāna Shakti and our
Kriyā Shakti and progress in life. Therefore, we look upon desire not as
an evil, we don’t look upon desire as curse, but we look upon desire as
blessing.
Then, why do the scriptures condemn desire and why do the scriptures
say renunciation of desires is liberation? Why do we define liberation as
desire-less-ness? Do the scriptures condemn the desires at all? Let it be
very clear that scriptures cannot afford to condemn desires because the
very existence of scriptures is only for fulfilling our desires.
The very existence of scriptures is meant for the fulfillment of our
desires. If you look at the Vēda Pūrva Bhāga, it is full of Vrushti
Kāmaschinvita, Putra Kāmaschinvita, Pashu Kāmaschinvita. It talks
about varieties of activities to fulfill our desires. Scriptures are not there
for the animals. Why? They don’t have desire to fulfil. We alone have
the desires.
Scriptures are relevant only for us and there are working only to fulfill
our desires. Therefore, if they condemn the desires, scriptures will make
themselves irrelevant. In fact, scriptures alone help us to categorize our
desires properly in the form of Dharma Purushārtha, in the form of
Artha Purushārtha, in the form of Kāma and Mōksha. Scriptures alone
categorize our desires and scriptures help us to fulfill the desires.
Vēda Pūrva Bhāga starts with athātō dharma jignyāsā - now starts the
desire. Vēdānta starts with desire athātō brahma jignyāsā. Therefore,
scriptures can never afford to condemn desires because if they condemn,
they themselves will become meaningless. Then, the question comes -
how do you explain all these expressions? In the 3rd chapter, Krishna
says -
kāma ēshaha krōdha ēshaha rajōguna samudbhavaha
mahāshanō mahāpāpmā viddhyēnam iha vairinam

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Krishna tells Arjuna - desire is a sinner, desire is an enemy. May you

destroy the desires. How are we to understand the verses if scriptures
have to encourage the desire as a blessing? This has to be properly
analyzed and understood. Otherwise we will have very many
misconceptions. I will clarify this with an example.
Suppose, somebody says - I have got sugar problem. What does it
mean? Do you mean to say that sugar in our system is a problem? When
you say sugar problem, do we mean that sugar in our system is a
problem? We can never say sugar in our system is a problem because
without sugar, we cannot survive.
Even if sugar comes down a little bit, it becomes a problem. It is called
Hypoglycemia. A person will die. When we cannot afford to have lesser
sugar, how can we say that sugar is a problem? But we do say that he
has got sugar problem. Then, how do you understand? When a person
says sugar is problem, it means that there is a particular limit, a
particular norm for the healthy system.
A particular amount of the sugar is required. When the presence of
sugar violates the norms, then it becomes abnormal sugar. Therefore,
whenever somebody says he has got sugar problem, what are we to
understand? Abnormal sugar is the problem. How do you define
abnormal? That which violates the norms is abnormal. Abnormal sugar
is unhealthy sugar and unhealthy sugar is problem.
Similarly, when anyone says cholesterol problem, what does it mean?
Abnormal cholesterol is the problem. In the same way, whenever
scriptures say desire is an enemy; scriptures never say desire is an
enemy. Then, what is desire? - Blessing. What type of blessing? Icchā
Shakti. It is indispensable for the survival of the human being and the
growth of human being.
What do you require for the fulfillment of four Purushārthās? Desire is
indispensable for the fulfillment of all the four Purushārthās. Even
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Mōksha can be attained only if I have desire for Mōksha. Therefore,

desire is indispensable for a human being to be a human being. Then,
what do you mean when desire is a problem? Exactly like sugar,
abnormal desire is to be handled.
Scriptures condemn abnormal desire. Scriptures glorify normal desire as
indispensable. Scripture condemn abnormal desire without using the
adjective ‘abnormal’, assuming that we will understand. Like what?
When they say sugar problem, we understand that it is abnormal sugar.
Similarly, what does it mean when they say pressure problem?
It does not mean that pressure should not be there. We will all be out.
We all require pressure. So, when we say pressure problem, it is
regarding abnormal pressure. Therefore, what is the first and most
important lesson? Desire is indispensable for every human being. It is a
privilege, it is a blessing.
At the same time, abnormal desire is a curse. So, kāma ēsha krōdha
ēshaha should be read as abnormal kāma ēshaha, abnormal krōdha
ēshaha rajōguna samudbhavaha. Then, next question is - what is normal
desire which is healthy, which is a privilege, which is indispensable
even to be a human being?
We talk about three norms. A desire which falls within these three
norms is a healthy desire. Just as medical people prescribe norms for
sugar level, cholesterol level, pressure level etc. for health, scriptures
also prescribe three norms for the desire to be healthy. If we make or
maintain our desires within these three norms, we have got healthy and
normal desire. We are human beings.
The first norm is appropriateness of the Desires. The first condition is
that the desires must be appropriate and in Sanskrit, we say Dhārmika
Kāmaha. Lord Krishna clearly says in the Gīta - dharmā viruddhō
bhutēshu kāmōsmi bharatarshabha - Hey Arjuna, if you entertain
Dhārmic desires; the desires which do not violate the norms of Dharma
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the norms of ethics, the norms of morality, the norms of justice. If the
desires are within ethics, within Dharma, that desire is a normal desire.
And Krishna says that it is an expression of divinity. Krishna says that
desire is my Vibhūti in your mind. Krishna says - I am such a desire.
Therefore, if you have got Dhārmic desires, you need not feel guilty.
You can feel proud, you can feel privileged.
Therefore, the first condition is - scan all your desires because every
moment, hundreds of desires are produced because of Icchā Shakti. We
being human beings and since we are endowed with Icchā Shakti, every
moment, hundreds of desires are generated. We don’t know from where
they come. We do not know the sources of desires.
Some desires are instinctive desires which are universal and common to
all human beings. Certain desires are cultivated desires because of our
upbringing - desire for a particular type of music, a particular type of
dance, a particular type of food, a particular type of dress etc. They are
not instinctive and universal but they are cultivated desires.
So, some are instinctive, some are cultivated and some are desires
carried forward from Pūrva Janama. In our past birth, we have
entertained powerful desires and they travel in the form of Vāsanās.
Brihadāranyaka Upanishad says - tam vidyā karmani samanvārabhētē
pūrva pragnyā cha.
Therefore, we have some desires because of Pūrva Janama Vāsanās.
The instinctive desires, cultivated desires, carried forward desires, in
hundreds and thousands are generated in the mind. And these desires are
the mixture of Dhārmic and Adhārmic. Some of them are Dhārmic and
some of them are Adhārmic desires.
Krishna says if Adhārmic desires rise in your mind, you need not feel
bad because the desires rise without asking permission. I don’t even
know which desire is going to come when. But what Krishna says is, let

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them rise in your mind as it is not in your hand but whether Adhārmic
desires should continue in the mind, the continuation is in your hand.
The rise of such desires is not in your hand. Therefore, you need not feel
bad if some of the desires are immoral. You need not feel guilty but
once I have noticed their presence, what should I do? You should nip
them in the bud. indriya-syēndriyasyārthē rāga dwēshou vyavasthitou
tayōhō vasham na āgacchēt -
Don’t allow them to become powerful, to overpower you. Therefore, the
first condition is filter your Adhārmic desires, maintain and nourish
only appropriate desires. Generally, our tendency is – even if I entertain
immoral desires, others won’t know and my image is not affected. So,
what is wrong if I entertain? The society won’t know it, even court will
not know it, they cannot arrest for desires.
Remember that even if the society may not know it, when I allow
immoral desires, since I know them, I lose respect for myself. Self-
respect, self-esteem is affected when I entertain immoral desires. Once I
lose my self-respect, even if the whole world praises me, in the heart of
hearts, I cannot take it. I will only have a low estimate of myself.
A person without self-respect can never be happy in life. Therefore, the
first norm is - let the desires be morally OK. I call it appropriate. The
second norm for normal desire is - according to the scriptures, balanced
desires. There must be a balance in our desires. What do you mean by
balance? Twofold balance should be taken care of. We have got desire
for acquisition - hording, adding, hording, adding etc.
The scriptures say desire for acquisition should be balanced with desire
for contribution. Desire for acquisition is natural. Desire for
contribution has to be cultivated. Therefore, one should deliberately
cultivate a value for contribution. Only then, the input and output is
balanced. It is required for the health of a human being. It is exactly like
balance of food.
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Suppose, I going on adding calories. Intake is there and I don’t spend

my energy - sitting and watching the TV exercise program. So, there is
an input, there is no output. As somebody defined - obesity is extra food
gone to waste. Waste has two spellings. It is a waste and the waist
expands.
Just as there must be balanced food similarly, whatever we acquire -
whether it is money or knowledge or any possessions we acquire, we
have to contribute. Scriptures have identified five areas of contribution.
The scriptures look upon the entire universe as a cosmic infrastructure
and we are tapping from the infrastructure.
Therefore, it is responsibility of humanity to contribute to the
maintenance of the infrastructure. The infrastructure is divided into five
layers. The first and outermost layer is Nature which the scriptures look
upon as the Pancha Bhūtās - the water, the earth, the air, the fire. Fire
means all the sources of energy.
They all are the infrastructure which are tamping for our happy life.
Therefore, I have to contribute to the maintenance of nature in the form
of Pancha Bhūtās. In-fact, in the daily Pūja we have a nice vision given.
We look upon Bhagawān as Pancha Bhūtās -
lam pruthivyātmanē gandhān dhārayāmi, am ākāshātmanē pushpaih
pūjayāmi, yam vāyvātmanē dhūpān dhārayami, ram agnyātmanē
deepam pradarshayāmi, vam amrutātmanē amrutōpahāram samarpayāmi
We say - O Lord, you are in the form of Pancha Bhūtās. Therefore, I
will reverentially contribute to the maintenance of them. So, Nature is
one area. The second area is all the living beings in the form of the flora
and fauna. All the animals and plants, all the living beings come under
the second area. I have a responsibility to contribute to their wellbeing.
The third area is the society consisting of the fellow human beings. I
have to contribute to social welfare schemes. This is the third area. The
fourth area is educational institutions consisting of teachers and
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educationists. Educational institutions are specially identified by the

scriptures because every educational institution should teach the
children what is healthy desire and what is unhealthy desire.
They should teach that desire is a privilege but at the same time, they
should tell and differentiate what is normal desire and what is abnormal
desire. Only when we churn out human beings who have got self-
control that they themselves restrain from unhealthy desires; there is a
self restraint with regard to unhealthy desires and there is a self-
motivation with regard to healthy desires.
Such educational institutions (not mere physics & chemistry) should
teach what a healthy desire is. So, we have to contribute to such
education institutions which will create responsible human beings.
Otherwise, we will find educated people who have hundreds and
thousands of factories which produce so many things but they don’t
follow norms of pollution.
Pollution control boards are there and they are centers of corruption.
Even though these factories are run by educated people, they don’t have
a healthy desire because they have desire to earn money but they don’t
want to spend money to treat their own effluence to maintain the
environmental health. Why have we got problems like global warming
and all those things?
It is because humanity has got an unhealthy desire to earn money but
they don’t want to spend in the maintenance of the environment.
Therefore, education is required to understand these things. Therefore,
what is the fourth area of contribution? - Educational Institutions. The
fifth area of contribution is family.
Family, according to our scriptures is the most important infrastructure
required for a healthy mind. Every human being can enjoy a healthy
mind only when there is a cushioning support of a family. Especially, a
human being in the early ages as a child requires a family to nourish the
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baby and every human being requires in the old age also for love and
care.
In the early ages, human beings require for love and care and in the old
age also one requires love and care. No institutions can give love and
care as affectively as a family institution. Therefore, our scriptures
consider institutions of family must be protected. Otherwise, old-age
homes alone increase which can never give love and care.
They may give food and medicines but they cannot provide with love
and care. Therefore, whatever is required for maintaining the family
structure, the family unity, we have to contribute to that. Even if it
requires some sacrifice of personal interest, one should sacrifice and
values and perpetuate the family.
This is the fifth and most intimate infrastructure. The first one is global
infrastructure and the last one is family. Between the first and last, we
have five layers – Nature, Living beings, Society, Educational
Institutions and family. And our fivefold contribution is known as
Pancha Mahā Yagnyāha.
Contribution to nature is called Dēva Yagnya, contribution to living
beings is called Bhūta Yagnya, contribution to society is called
Manushya Yagnya, contribution to educational institutions is called
Brahma Yagnya, and contribution to family perpetuation is called Pitru
Yagnya.
This fivefold contribution is required to balance our acquisition desire.
This is Balance number one. Then, we have to take care of one more
important balance. That is, all our material pursuits must be balanced
with spiritual pursuit also compulsorily. Because according to
scriptures, the whole universe is a mixture of matter and spirit.
We call it Prakruti and Purusha. The whole universe is Prakruti +
Purusha (spirit and matter). We ourselves are a mixture of spirit and

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matter. Since the creation is mixture of both, our pursuits also must be a
mixture of both. If we are going to have only material pursuits of money
and entertainment, it will become lopsided life.
According to the scriptures, it is an un-balanced life and after sometime,
a materialistic person who does not balance his pursuit will feel a
bankruptcy in the heart. There will be a sense of hollowness; there will
be sense of emptiness. All the material comforts will be there but an
inner sense of vacuum will be there because matter is empty without
sprit.
Matter is Mithyā. It is empty. Matter is a myth - brahma satyam jagan
mithyā. So, remember that matter is a myth without spirit. Therefore we
will suffer from emptiness if we don’t balance the material pursuit with
spiritual pursuit. Therefore, everyone should sit at least one hour a day
for spiritual scriptural study.
A minimum of Bhagavad-Gita must be thoroughly studied by every
individual to balance these two. Therefore, one balance is acquisition-
contribution and another balance is material-spiritual pursuits. This is
norm number two - Balanced desire. What is norm number one? -
Appropriate desire.
What is norm number three? This is also important. I said that desire is
indispensable for acquiring all the Purushārthās, the goals of life.
Dharma, Artha, Kāma, Mōksha can all be accomplished only if we have
desires. Therefore, primary benefit of desire is accomplishment of four
the four Purushārthās.
So, the four Purushārthās is the primary benefit of desire. The scriptures
say that while desires has got a primary product in the form of Dharma,
Artha, Kāma, Mōksha, desire has got certain byproducts also which are
dangerous. Desire has got primary products which are good but desires
have got certain toxic byproducts like petrol. Petrol has got benefit.
What is benefit?
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Because of that, you are able to reach your destination. You are getting
mobility and that is the primary result. What is the byproduct? You
know that it produces toxic fumes, green houses gases polluting the
atmosphere. One is called good primary product and the other one is
called toxic byproduct.
Scriptures say Kāma also has got toxic byproducts. They are
enumerated as Krōdha, Lōbha, Mōha, Mada and Mātsarya - Anger,
Greed, Jealousy, Rivalry, Anxiety, Tension, Stress, Worry, Frustration,
and Depression are all byproducts of Kāma. Therefore, we don’t say
Kāma should to be given up.
Kāma is required for fulfilling the goals of life but one has to care of
these toxic byproducts by appropriate treatment. What is the treatment?
That is not the topic today. The scriptures give us the method of treating
the toxic byproducts of anger, jealously, pressure, fear, anxiety etc. And
if you entertain desires, avoiding these byproducts, the desires are clean
desires.
Therefore, what is the third condition? Let the desires be clean desires
which can give you Purusha Arthās, the goals and which can avoid
Purusha Attās (the eater of Purusha), the toxic byproducts. If I entertain
these clean desires, that is within the norm. Therefore, what is the third
condition?
Handle the polluting byproducts of desire like Krōdha, Lōbha, Mōha
etc. Therefore, have clean desire. What are the three norms?
Appropriate, Balanced and Clean Desire is healthy. You can have any
number of healthy desires. How to remember them? Remember ABCD
- A-Appropriate, B-Balanced, C-Clean and D-Desire. So follow ABCD
principle.
You can enjoy your desires, the Society also will enjoy and there no
destruction also. Vidyāranya tells in the 6th chapter of Panchadashi -
may you entertain crores of such healthy desires - iccham stu kōti
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vastūni na bādhaha. Therefore, in the New Year, let us all have ABCD
in plenty.
Pūrnmadah Pūrnamidam Pūrnāth Pūrnamudachyatē.
Pūrnasya Pūrnamādāya Pūrnamēvāvasishyatē..

Om shānti shānti shāntihi

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