Understanding DESIRES by Swami Sivananda 1. Consecutiveness in Desires There is consecutiveness in desires even though separated by class, place and time on account of the unity of memory and impressions. NOTES Death is similar to sleep. Birth is like waking from sleep. When you see a friend whom you saw forty years ago the events and occurances that took place long ago come back to your memory at once, and those that happened recently are held in check or abeyance. This is your experience in your daily life. The same law applies to Vasanas and different kinds of births. There is unity or identity in Samskaras and memory. Desire Samskaras will manifest as desires. Kriya Samskaras will manifest as actions. Jnana Samskaras will manifest as Smriti or knowledge. The suckling of a child and the act of swimming of a duckling – these instinctive acts are proofs of a memory which must be the result of their corresponding and inseparable impressions left by the same acts in a previous incarnation. There is continuity of Vasanas or impressions as cause and effect. Every act leaves Samskaras in the Chitta which cause memory. Memory in its turn leads to fresh actions and fresh impressions. This cycle or Chakrika goes on from eternity like the analogy of seed and tree. In a human body the Samskaras of various human bodies only will operate. The Samskaras that were produced through experiene in other kinds of bodies lie dormant. Therefore, the continuity of bodies, Samskaras and desires is kept up, though there is separation in species, time and space. The desires, ideas and feelings constantly change. Some of the old desires, ideas and feelings are constantly departing from their store-house, the mind, and new ones are replacing them. This constant change does not in any way interfere with the harmony of mental operations. Only some of the old desires, ideas and feelings depart. Those that remain, work in healthy cooperation and concord with the new arrivals. The new arrivals are strongly magnetised by the old ones. They both work in harmony and this harmony retains the identity of the mental existence. 2. Desire Is Beginningless They (the Vasanas, desires) are beginningless, as the desire to live is eternaI. NOTES ‘They’ refers to ‘the desires.’ Desires have no beginning and end. Every being has clinging to this physical life (Abhinivesa). This ‘will to live’ is eternal. Experiences also are without any beginning. Brahman is ‘Anadi Anantam’. Maya is ‘Anadi Santam’. Maya terminates for that person who has attained knowledge of Atman. You cannot think of a time when this feeling of ‘Aham’ or ‘I’ has not existed. This ‘I’ exists continuously without any interruption. From this we can very easily infer that there had been previous births for us. Mind is very subtle and all-pervading like ether. How could there be fear of death and desire to avoid pain, in any being, who has only been born, if he has had no experience of liability to death, it being understood that desire to avoid anything is only caused by remembrance suffered in consequence thereof? Nothing which is inherent in anything stands in need of a cause. How should it be that a child, who has not experienced his liability to death in the present life, should, as he may be falling away from the mother’s lap, begin to tremble and hold with his hands tightly the necklace hanging on her breast? How is it that such a child should experience the fear of death, which can only be caused by the memory of the pain consequent upon aversion to death, whose existence is inferred by the trembling of the child? Some philosophers say that the size of the mind corresponds to the size of the body with which it is connected. It contracts and expands like a light placed in a jar or a house, as the case may be. This is wrong. The flame of the light neither increases nor decreases, neither contracts nor expands according to the space. So also, the Vrittis of the mind only contract or expand. The mind remains the same always. The mind, therefore, is all-pervading and subtle. The happiness of a baby which is inferred from smiles should be considered as proof of a previous life. 3. How to Destroy Desires Being held together by cause, effect, substratum and support, they (Vasanas) disappear on the disappearance of these (cause, effect). NOTES Vasanas produce actions. Actions strengthen the Vasanas. Vasanas and actions produce Samskaras in the Chitta. Samskaras again produce Vasanas, memory and action. This Pravaha is running from Anaadikala. Egoism and Raga-Dvesha are the causes for virtuous and vicious actions. The Asraya is the Chitta wherein Samskaras are lodged. Alambana are the objects. The contact of the senses with objects brings in fresh desires. If the cause, effect, support and objects are destroyed, all desires also will be doubtless destroyed. Dharma brings happiness. Adharma brings pain. The cause for desire is happiness. The cause for hatred is pain. Effort takes place by these. This effort is done by mind, speech and action. Through this effort you favour some and hurt others. Enjoyment is not possible without hurting others. Then again by these acts, virtue, vice, pleasure, pain and through these Raga, Dvesha are again developed. This Samsara is kept up by this six-spoked wheel. Avidya makes this wheel to revolve. This is the root cause for all Klesas. This is Hetu. Phala is Jati, life-period and Bhoga (enjoyment). 4. Mind Acts for the Purusha The mind through its countless desires acts (for the enjoyment) of another (the Purusha), as it acts in association. NOTES Just as the body exists for the enjoyment of the Indriyas, just as the Indriyas exist for the enjoyment of the mind, so also the mind exists for the enjoyment of the Purusha. Just as the house which has assumed its shape as such, by various meterials being brought together, exists for the

Philosophical Studies in Egoism and its Elimination by Swami Sivananda Ego or egoism or Ahamkara in Sanskrit is the self-asserting principle or Tattva born of ignorance or Prakriti. Abhimana is egoism. Garva is egoism. The seed of this ego is the differentiating intellect or Bheda Buddhi. It is the ego which has created the idea of separateness from God or Atman. It is the ego which is the rootcause for all human sufferings and births and deaths. This ego identifies itself with the body, mind, Prana and the senses. Wherever there is ego, there are mineness, selfishness, likes and dislikes, lust, anger, greed, hypocrisy, pride, jealousy, delusion, arrogance, conceit, impertinence, Vasanas, Trishna or cravings and Vrittis or Sankalpas, clinging to this earth-life (Abhinivesa), agency, doership (Kartritva) and enjoyership (Bhoktritva). You must have a very clear understanding of the nature of this ego, if you want to annihilate egoism. Killing of egoism is killing of mind. Destruction of thought, desires, cravings, mineness, selfishness, jealousy, pride, lust is really destruction of mind or egoism. Control of senses also is annihilation of the mind or egoism. This egoism assumes a subtle form. The gross egoism is not so dangerous as the subtle egoism. Institutional egoism is a subtle form of egoism. The man identifies himself with the institution and gets himself attached to the institution or cult. He has no broad-mindendness or catholicity. The working of egoism is very mysterious. It is very difficult to detect its various ways of working. It needs subtle and sharp intellect to find out its operation. If you practise introspection daily in silence you will be able to find out its mysterious ways of working. This ego likes his own birthplace and district, people of his district, his own mother-tongue, his own relations and friends, his own ways of eating, mode of dressing. He has his own predilection and preferences. He dislikes others’ way of eating, dressing, etc. This ego wants to exercise power and influence over others. He wants titles, prestige, status, respect, prosperity, house, wife, children. He wants self aggrandisement. He wishes to domineer and rule over others. If anybody points out his defects his vanity feels offended. If anyone praises him, he is elated. This ego says: – I know everything. He does not know anything. What I say is quite correct. What he says is quite incorrect. He is inferior to me. I am superior to him. He forces others to follow his ways and views. This ego will lurk like a thief when you start introspection and self-analysis. It will elude your grasp and understanding. You must be ever alert and vigilant. If you obtain the grace of the Lord through Japa, Kirtan, prayer and devotion you can easily kill this ego. Through Lord’s grace only your self-surrender will become perfect. When this ego melts in the cosmic ego you will attain communion with the Lord or Self-realisation. May you realise the goal of life and attain everlasting Bliss through annihilation of this little ego. Ahankara or egoism is the self-arrogating principle in man. It is a Vritti or modification that arises in the mind. Patanjali Maharshi calls this by the name – Asmita. The same mind assumes the form of egoism when man self-arrogates himself. Ahankara manifests first and then comes Mamata. This baneful egoism generates actions, desires and pains. It is the source for all evils. It is illusory. It deludes people. Though it is nothing, it is everything for the worldly people. It is associated with mineness. It is born of Avidya or ignorance. It springs from false conceit. Vanity fosters it. It is the greatest enemy. If one renounces this Ahankara, he will be happy. The secret of renunciation is renunciation of egoism. Ahankara has its seat in the mind. It is under the influence of egoism that man commits evil and wrong actions. It is deep-rooted. Anxieties and troubles proceed from egoism. Ahankara is a veritable disease. Pride, lust, anger, delusion, greed, jealousy, love and hatred are the attendants of Ahankara. Ahankara destroys our virtues and peace of mind. It spreads the snare of affection to entrap us. He who is free from egoism is very happy and peaceful. Desires multiply and expand on account of egoism. Our inveterate enemy of egoism has spread about us the enchantments of our wives, friends, children, etc., whose spell is hard to break. There is no enemy greater than egoism. He who neither desires nor dislikes anything and who preserves the serenity of mind at all times is not affected by the feeling of egoism. There are three kinds of egoism in the three worlds. On these, two kinds of egoism are beneficial and of superior nature but the third is a vile kind and is to be abandoned by all. The first is the supreme and undivided ego which is eternal and which pervades throughout the world. It is the Supreme Soul (Paramatma), besides which there is nothing in nature. Meditate on the formula – Aham Brahma Asmi – I am Brahman. Identify yourself with Brahman. It is Sattvic Ahankara. The knowledge which makes us perceive our own Self to be more subtle than the tail-end of paddy or to be as minute as the hundredth part of a hair, and to be ever existent is the second kind of Ahankara. The two kinds of egoism are found in a Jivanmukta or a liberated sage. They lead to the liberation of men. They will not cause bondage. Hence they are a beneficial and superior nature. The third kind of Ahankara is the knowledge of the hands, feet, etc., which takes the body for the Soul or the Self. This is the worst or basest form of egoism. This is found in all worldly persons. This is the cause for the growth of the poisonous tree of rebirths. Those who possess this kind of egoism can never come to their right senses. Countless persons have been deluded by this