Transforming Lust into Love by Desiring God
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the ultimate perfection of life is not to stop desiring, but to purify our desires. By studying his instructions, we can understand the true meaning of desirelessness, why impersonal liberation is a subtle form of lust, and how pure devotees desire nothing but the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.
The True Meaning of Desirelessness
It is a common misconception that spiritual perfection requires the complete annihilation of all desire. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that because the soul is eternally conscious, it is impossible to stop desiring; true desirelessness means abandoning inferior material motives and exclusively desiring the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.
- To try to stop desires is impossible. One has to desire the Supreme in order not to be entangled in inferior desires. Jnanis maintain a desire to become one with the Supreme, but such desire is also considered to be kama, lust.
- Desireless means, therefore, not to be inert like the stone, but to be conscious of one's actual position and thus desire satisfaction only from the Supreme Lord.
- Instead of desiring to have the Lord come here and become one's son, one should desire to become free from all material desires (anyabhilasita-sunyam (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11)) and go back home, back to Godhead.
Rejecting Material and Impersonal Desires
Those who pursue material gain or impersonal liberation are still acting on the platform of self-interest. Śrīla Prabhupāda boldly points out that desiring to merge into the Brahman effulgence is actually the subtlest type of atheism, preventing one from entering the path of pure bhakti-yoga.
- The desire to merge into the impersonal Brahman is the subtlest type of atheism. As soon as such atheism, disguised in the dress of liberation, is encouraged, one becomes completely unable to traverse the path of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- In bhakti-yoga the devotees desire nothing but Krsna. The pure bhakti devotee does not desire promotion to heavenly planets, nor does he seek salvation or liberation from material entanglement.
- One must develop the desires for returning back home, back to Godhead, and automatically the desires for material gain, material honor and material popularity will diminish in proportion to the development of devotional service.
Transforming Lust into Devotional Service
Mundane attachments to family, society, and nation are rooted in bodily consciousness and personal enjoyment. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that when these desires are shifted away from our own senses and redirected entirely for the satisfaction of the Lord, mundane lust is transformed into transcendental love.
- The so-called affection for family, society, country, etc., consists of different phases of sense gratification. When this desire is changed for the satisfaction of the Lord, it is called devotional service.
- Dasya-rasa, or dasya-bhakti-rasa, is described in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (3.2.3-4): When according to his desires the living entity develops love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this beginning stage of love is called dasya-bhakti-rasa.
- Giving up all speculation and fruitive activity, one should simply worship and desire to attain to love of God.
The Pure Devotee's Only Ambition
A pure devotee operates solely on the platform of unconditional love and service. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that even if the Supreme Lord personally offers a devotee opulence or benedictions, the devotee respectfully declines, harboring no ambition other than to please Kṛṣṇa.
- Pure devotees do not ask anything from the Lord for their personal benefit. Even if offered personal benefits, pure devotees do not accept them, because their only desire is to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead by transcendental loving service.
- First of all, he (a liberated person) does not desire anything for his material benefit, and secondly if he desires anything at all, he simply desires to serve the Supreme Lord. That desire is fulfilled by the Lord's grace. That is called satya-sankalpa.
- The Ganges River is known by many names, such as the Bhagirathi and the Jahnavi. It purifies Dhruvaloka and the planets of the seven sages because both Dhruva and the sages have no other desire than to serve the Lord's lotus feet.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully elevates our understanding of spiritual perfection. True liberation does not mean becoming inert or artificially stopping the mind's function, for the soul is eternally active and desiring. Rather, spiritual perfection is achieved by completely purifying one's desires—transforming self-centered lust into God-centered love. While worldly people desire material opulence and jñānīs desire the impersonal void, the pure devotees practice anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam; they harbor zero desire for personal gain. Their only ambition is to render favorable, transcendental loving service for the pleasure of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. By consciously shifting our desires from mundane family, society, and liberation to the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we naturally diminish our entanglement in the material world and guarantee our return back home, back to Godhead.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Desiring God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.