Desirelessness and nirvana

Expressions researched:
"desireless" |"desirelessness" |"nirvana"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase research query: nirvana desireless*

SB Canto 7

Nirvāṇa means the cessation of all material desires. Sometimes desirelessness is understood to imply an end to the workings of the mind, but this is not possible. The living entity has senses, and if the senses stopped working, the living entity would no longer be a living entity; he would be exactly like stone or wood. This is not possible.

SB 7.15.34, Translation and Purport:

When the yogi regularly practices in this way, in a short time his heart becomes fixed and free from disturbance, like a fire without flames or smoke.

Nirvāṇa means the cessation of all material desires. Sometimes desirelessness is understood to imply an end to the workings of the mind, but this is not possible. The living entity has senses, and if the senses stopped working, the living entity would no longer be a living entity; he would be exactly like stone or wood. This is not possible. Because he is living, he is nitya and cetana—eternally sentient. For those who are not very advanced, the practice of yoga is recommended in order to stop the mind from being agitated by material desires, but if one fixes his mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, his mind naturally becomes peaceful very soon. This peace is described in Bhagavad-gītā (5.29):

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ

sarva-loka-maheśvaram

suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

If one can understand Kṛṣṇa as the supreme enjoyer, the supreme proprietor of everything, and the supreme friend of everyone, one is established in peace and is free from material agitation. However, for one who cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the practice of yoga is recommended.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

The Buddha philosophy advocates nirvāṇa, no more desire. That is their philosophy. "By desire, you are becoming implicated, so make all your desires extinct. Then there will be no more feelings of pains and pleasure. Desirelessness."

Lecture on BG 16.13-15 -- Hawaii, February 8, 1975:

"No desire" does not mean no desire for serving Kṛṣṇa. That is real desire. Other desires are artificial. That is material. But the desire to... That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When all our desires are for serving Kṛṣṇa... Desires you cannot give up. That is not possible. Desires will remain there, but at the present moment, in the conditional stage, the desires are being misused. That is the defect. Therefore the definition of bhakti means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Śūnya means zero. That is called nirvāṇa. The Buddha philosophy advocates nirvāṇa, no more desire. That is their philosophy. "By desire, you are becoming implicated, so make all your desires extinct. Then there will be no more feelings of pains and pleasure. Desirelessness."

But that is not possible. Desire must be there. Because I am living there, living being, I must have desires. That is the symptom. A stone has no desire, but a living being, however small, insignificant ant, it has got desire. The insignificant ant gets information that in the other corner of the room, which is one hundred miles for the ant... Because the world is relative, relative world, so this length of the room, from this corner to the other corner, for an ant it is hundred miles, yes, because the world is relative according to the size, atomic size, the distance. Now we have got speedy aeroplane. The distance has reduced. Distance from Honolulu to India, if you go by land it will be ten thousand miles, but... It is ten thousand miles, but the speedy aeroplane has reduced. So relatively... Everything is relative. This is called relative world. Dar... What is...? Professor Einstein, he has proved the law of relativity. So the ant, he has to go, to pick up one grain of sugar, by going hundred miles in his capacity, but it will go. That is desire. You have got experience. You put little sugar here. You don't invite ants, but they'll come. They'll come. They'll get immediately information. Just like from Europe many people came in America-gold rush desire. So desire must be there. The ant has desire; Lord Brahmā has desire; I have got desire; you have got desire. This is artificial, to make desireless. That is not possible.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

It is not possible to become desireless. That is negative post, nirvāṇa. That is Buddha philosophy, nirvāṇa. "Stop these material nonsense activities." But unless he has got positive activities, how he can give up this nonsense?

Lecture on SB 2.1.7 -- Paris, June 15, 1974:

Therefore what is that paramahaṁsa stage? That is nairguṇya-sthā ramante sma guṇānukathane hareḥ. His only business is to glorify Kṛṣṇa. He does not do that... Not that "I have become paramahaṁsa. Let me eat and sleep." No. The symptom is that he cannot waste a moment without glorifying Kṛṣṇa. That is paramahaṁsa. At that time, you can know, that when you cannot remain even for a single moment without describing Kṛṣṇa, then you can know that you are on the paramahaṁsa stage. No attachment anything material; simply attachment for Kṛṣṇa. Then you can give up the regulative principles. Not before that. Don't imitate. Unless you come to that stage, positive stage... It is not that simply negative. Negative means you must stand on a positive platform. Therefore those who are Śūnyavādī, simply negative... The other day, some Zen Buddhist came. He said that "to become desireless." These nonsense people, they do not know it is impossible to become desireless. They are thinking... Therefore they are disturbed always. It is not possible to become desireless. You... That is negative post, nirvāṇa. That is Buddha philosophy, nirvāṇa. "Stop these material nonsense activities." But unless he has got positive activities, how he can give up this nonsense? Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 9.59). You must give good engagement. Otherwise, he'll go on committing all nonsense. Just like you, you have been given good engagement, Deity worship and so many other things. You are engaged. Therefore you have no time to divert your attention for nonsense things. Simply artificially, if you want to stop, no. The U.S. government, they tried to stop this intoxication habit, LSD, millions of dollars. Not a single man was stopped. Not a single man. And here in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as soon as they come, immediately... Why? Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. When he understands that he is better intoxication, "Why shall I go to LSD?" That is required.

Nirvāṇa means material desires, to make it void, no more. Lord Buddha said up to that. Because the people who were following him, they were not so expert, advanced; therefore he did not say what is after giving up every desires. Because desireless it cannot be.

Lecture on SB 3.25.32 -- Bombay, December 2, 1974:

Pure bhakti is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), zero. Material hankerings, anything material, hankering, should be void. The void philosophy, nirvāṇa, that indicates that you should completely finish these material desires. That is Lord Buddha's philosophy, nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa means material desires, to make it void, no more. Lord Buddha said up to that. Because the people who were following him, they were not so expert, advanced; therefore he did not say what is after giving up every desires. Because desireless it cannot be. Desires... People say that "You become desireless. Give up your all desires." That give up all desires means you give up your material desires, because you cannot be desireless. Then you are dead body. But we are eternal living entity. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). We are getting different types of body on account of different desires. So I become desireless of this habit; then I desire another habit. So that is going on.

So desireless is not possible. Desirelessness means you have to purify your desire. Don't desire anything except the service of Kṛṣṇa. That is desirelessness, animittā. Animittā bhaktiḥ siddher garīyasī.

Nirvāṇa means make zero, śūnyavādi. But we cannot remain in the śūnya. That is not possible. Śūnyavādī-nirvāṇa means to give up material desires. It is not possible to give up desires. That is not possible.

Lecture on SB 6.1.17 -- Honolulu, May 17, 1976:

Pure devotees means who has no material desire. That is pure devotee. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Śūnya means zero, one who has made all material desires zero. That is the way. In the Buddha philosophy it is called nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa means make zero, śūnyavādi. But we cannot remain in the śūnya. That is not possible. Śūnyavādī-nirvāṇa means to give up material desires. It is not possible to give up desires. That is not possible. To give up desires means I am dead body, a stone. If I have got life, if I am not a stone, there must be desires. Where is the living entity who has no desires? That is not possible. If we kill somebody to make him desireless, that "If you are killed, then there will be no more desire," no, the desire will continue in the subtle body. Even one is finished, this material body... Sometimes they commit suicide out of frustration, that "This desire is not fulfilled. Let me commit suicide." No. That is ignorance. Desires continue in the subtle body, mind, intelligence, and ego. And to fulfill the desire, Kṛṣṇa will give you another body. If we make a desire, it must be fulfilled and Kṛṣṇa will give you facilities. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). Desire is so strong. So how to make it zero? That is not possible. To make it zero means no more material desire. That is to make zero material desires. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170).

Philosophy Discussions

But the living entity cannot be desireless. Nirvāṇa means material desires finished. But because living entity is eternal spiritual being, he is, he has got spiritual desire. Now it is covered. The desire is there, desire is constant companion, but because it is materially covered, we are thinking this temporary world as reality, and it is not reality.

Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Prabhupāda: Vāsanā means desire. So that desire, material desire, but the living entity cannot be desireless. Desireless..., nirvāṇa means material desires finished. But because living entity is eternal spiritual being, he is, he has got spiritual desire. Now it is covered. The desire is there, desire is constant companion, but because it is materially covered, we are thinking this temporary world as reality, and it is not reality; therefore it is changing. We are having different types of desires according to the body we get, and the soul is transmigrating in this material world from one body to another, and he is creating a certain type of desires, will. And to fulfill that will he is getting a different type of body by the Supreme Will. He is willing, and the Supreme Will, God, Kṛṣṇa, understanding his will, giving him facility to accept a certain pattern of circumstances, body, to fulfill his particular desire. That is going on. Therefore this vāsanā, or will, is the cause of his material existence, constantly changing, and on account of changing will he is changing body. This is the complication of material existence. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to teach the living entity that as living being you must have desires. If your desires are stopped, then you become like stone. So you have to cleanse this desire, diseased form of desire. That is bhakti. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170).

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Desire produced by bodily concept of life will never be satisfied. Therefore some of them are trying to become desireless, the impersonalists. Nirvāṇa.

Morning Walk -- October 4, 1975, Mauritius:

Brahmānanda: They think that unhappiness comes from repression of one's desires.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. They think that actually that we're suffering from so many desires, that we must be very poor creatures because we become devotees.

Prabhupāda: So why so many desires? Because one desire is not complete, therefore you desire next. Therefore the process of desiring is defective, and our process is to purify the desires, not to remain in the imperfect platform of desiring, but whatever desire you have got, just purify it. Then it will be satisfied. So desire produced by bodily concept of life will never be satisfied. Therefore some of them are trying to become desireless, the impersonalists. Nirvāṇa.

Brahmānanda: That is also impossible.

Prabhupāda: That is not possible.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Every living entity has got mind, so this is desirelessness, that "I'll wait for the order of my spiritual master and immediately execute." That is desirelessness. He has no other desires. Nirvāṇa means that you give up all material desires.

Morning Walk -- May 3, 1976, Fiji:

Prabhupāda: Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam. First make all desires zero. That is the beginning of bhakti.

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ

jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-

śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

(Brs. 1.1.11)

Why should you desire anything?

Guru-kṛpā: Then they say, "Why you desire to serve Kṛṣṇa?"

Prabhupāda: Huh? That is not desire. It is a natural. That is natural. Obedience to Kṛṣṇa, that is my natural business. Servant's business is always ready: "What can I do, sir?" This is not desire. This is natural position. He's not desiring anything. He's simply ready, "What can I do?" Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). That is, he's not desiring anything. Desire means when I want something for my satisfaction, that is desire. (break) ...mukha-padma-vākya, cittete koriyā aikya. He's simply expecting what spiritual master will order. Citta. Āra nā koriho... He has no other desire. That is desirelessness. (break) Desireless means a wooden stone. It has no mind, how it can de.... But every living entity has got mind, so this is desirelessness, that "I'll wait for the order of my master and immediately execute." That is desirelessness. .... (break) stop functioning, then what is the meaning of guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete koriyā aikya **? That means awaiting the order from the mouth of guru. Āra nā koriho mane. He has no other desires. That is to be under.... (break) Nirvāṇa, nirvāṇa means that you give up all material desires. Not that "But he did not say anything more than that." Because it was meant for the fourth-class men, so he did not say. He simply asked that you finish this material desire.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Is that not misleading?

Prabhupāda: It is not misleading. It is truth, but the truth as much as you can understand. It is not misleading because Lord Buddha knew that "This rascal will not understand more than this." So he did not say further knowledge.