Desiring for God - The Price of Transcendental Eagerness
It is a misconception that spiritual advancement requires the complete annihilation of all desires. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that because the living entity is eternally conscious, it must always desire; true spiritual life simply means purifying that desire from the pursuit of selfish pleasure to the joyful endeavor of satisfying the Supreme Lord.
The Transformation of Desire
Desire is the fundamental symptom of life. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that instead of attempting the impossible task of killing our desires, we must simply change their target—transitioning from the lusty urge to gratify our own senses to the transcendental ambition to please the senses of Kṛṣṇa.
- Desire cannot be negated, but in devotional service the desire is changed only for the service of the Lord in place of desire for sense gratification.
- Kaviraja Krsnadasa, explains the distinction between lusty desire and the service attitude here: " 'Lusty desire' refers to the desire to gratify one's senses, and 'transcendental desire' refers to the desire for serving the senses of the Lord."
- Lusty desire' refers to the desire to gratify one's personal senses, and 'transcendental desire' refers to the desire for serving the senses of the Lord.
- Material life means - when you desire to gratify your senses, that is material life. And when you desire to serve God, that is spiritual life. That is the difference between material life and spiritual life. Now we are trying to serve our senses.
The Eagerness for Association
Entrance into the spiritual kingdom cannot be purchased with material wealth, mundane piety, or mystic power. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights that the only acceptable currency for associating with the Supreme Lord is an intense, unalloyed eagerness (laulyam) to serve Him.
- The Lord is the only desire of the pure devotees, and devotional service is the only spotless process for achieving His favor.
- There is no material calculation for the value of the ticket by which one can enter the kingdom of God. The only price for such entrance is this laulyam lalasamayi, or desire and great eagerness.
- This eagerness is chiefly characterized by an ardent desire to associate with the Lord.
- He (a liberated soul) is wholly freed from all kinds of material desires, yet still he is irresistibly attracted by the desire to hear and understand the pastimes of the Lord.
The Lord's Sweet Reciprocation
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is intimately aware of the contents of His devotees' hearts. Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals that Kṛṣṇa perfectly reciprocates with pure spiritual desires, often orchestrating external circumstances specifically to fulfill the transcendental ambitions of His surrendered servants.
- The Lord sits on the lotus heart of the devotee in the eternal form the pure devotee desires, and thus the Lord does not part from the devotee.
- Your mind has been perturbed upon seeing this horrible feature of Mine. Now let it be finished. My devotee, be free from all disturbance. With a peaceful mind you can now see the form you desire.
- It so happened that when the other sannyasis were going to Advaita Acarya's to take lunch, there was a big rainstorm, and they could not reach His house. Thus, according to Advaita Acarya's desires, Caitanya Mahaprabhu came alone and accepted the prasadam.
- After hearing this statement, Krsna could understand that the King did not want to break his vow. Thus, in order to fulfill his desire, He tightened His belt and prepared to fight with the bulls.
The Highest Standard of Desire
True desirelessness does not mean achieving a state of blank nothingness. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that the highest standard of existence is to be overflowing with the desire to serve Kṛṣṇa, dedicating every single ambition toward His pleasure, just as the great devotees have demonstrated throughout history.
- Because all his desires and ambitions were thus engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, Maharaja Ambarisa is considered the leader in discharging devotional service in all kinds of ways.
- First deserve, then desire. So how a Krsna conscious person can be desireless? The first is desire: "I desire to serve Krsna." That is the beginning. Then Krsna will give you chance, as you deserve. This is the process."
- The necks of the gopis became tinted with red due to their desire to enjoy Krsna more and more. To satisfy them, Krsna began to clap His hands in time with their singing.
- I (Narada) desired to see again that transcendental form of the Lord, but despite my attempts to concentrate upon the heart with eagerness to view the form again, I could not see Him any more, and thus dissatisfied, I was very much aggrieved.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda elegantly resolves the philosophical confusion regarding the role of desire in spiritual life. Because the soul is eternally conscious, it is constitutionally impossible to eradicate desire; attempting to do so only leads to the unnatural and temporary state of voidism. The actual process of bhakti-yoga is not the annihilation of desire, but its absolute purification. When a living entity shifts their ambition from the lusty pursuit of personal sense gratification to the loving desire to serve the senses of the Supreme Lord, material life ends and spiritual life begins. This intense, purified eagerness (laulyam) to please Kṛṣṇa is the sole price of admission into the spiritual world. The Supreme Lord perfectly reciprocates with this eagerness, manifesting in the exact form His devotee desires and orchestrating circumstances to fulfill their transcendental service. Ultimately, the perfection of existence is not to become an emotionless stone, but to follow in the footsteps of great authorities like Mahārāja Ambarīṣa and Nārada Muni—engaging every single desire, ambition, and heartbeat in the joyful, eternal service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Desiring for God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.