Navigating our Mixed Desires

What is in a desire really? We have wants and needs, but desire is something that burns from within pulling us in various directions toward that deep seeded yearning. Plato states that human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge. On the material plane, desires can manifest around an endless litany of conquests - wealth, fame, beauty, power, true love, etc. On the spiritual platform, we can desire connection with God, liberation, and enlightenment. 

One who is following a bhakti path is taught that love of God is the highest desire. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada (Srila Prabhupada) explains in Srimad Bhagavatam 4.8.35 that "desire must exist, either material or spiritual. Material desire arises when one wants to satisfy one's personal senses. One who is ready to sacrifice anything to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be said to have spiritual desire." 

But what if our desires are mixed? What if we are still enthralled with aspects of material life, yet we also desire to have a relationship with God? It's not easy to shake material hankerings, even when we know that desiring God will bring deeper joy and fulfillment. Fortunately, Bhagavad-gita provides simple instructions for those of us with mixed desires. 

In chapter 3, Krishna explains to Arjuna the process of karma yoga by which one can gradually advance in spiritual life despite attachment to material activities. As living beings, we are bound to action and activity which accumulates karma or reactions. It is the nature of the living entity to be active. "Everyone is forced to act helplessly according to the qualities he has acquired from the modes of material nature; therefore no one can refrain from doing something, not even for a moment" (BG 3.5). Rather than falsely renouncing our sense desires, it is recommended that we continue on in our material activities, performing our duties without attachment to personal gain. "The living entity cannot be desireless or senseless, but he does have to change the quality of the desires. A materially desireless person certainly knows that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa (īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam), and therefore he does not falsely claim proprietorship over anything." Srila Prabhupada (BG 2.71 purport). 

Sadhana bhakti practices give us a roadmap to follow in making strides in our spiritual endeavors. For most, this path is peppered with challenges that can momentarily derail our progress, however we know through the Gita that there is no loss or dimunition when taking to the process of devotional service. With mixed desires, one can continue onward through practical application of bhakti yoga principles which help us to gradually release attachments to material life and increase attachment to spiritual activities. Even if we are actively engaged in service to a temple, a guru, a community, we may find our motivations are not pure despite labeling the activity as spiritual. Regular self-assessment can help us unmask our true nature and our inner desires, thereby paving a clear path forward in our devotional lives. So, it is with daily practice or sadhana that we can deepen our roots in devotion and strengthen our minds as we navigate the trials and tribulations of life. The journey is not for the swift and it is through associating with others desiring the same goal as well as anchoring our own selves in practice, that our mixed desires may slowly become purified.  

Determination and the steadfast endeavor are essential traits for a yogi wishing to cultivate devotion. It is these very qualities that can attract God's mercy and extract deeply anchored desires from our heart, thereby freeing us of the entanglements of material life. 

by Vrindavaneswari Radhika dasi