Daily Devotion -Apr 25, 2026 (English)- Desires Misguided
It is impossible to eliminate worldly desires because we naturally seek happiness. You can only overcome worldly desires when someone gives you infinite divine bliss for eternity. Thinking, "I will eliminate all desires", is madness. Even the greatest yogis and sages have not been able to accomplish this. The mind is so powerful that no one has been able to conquer it. There is no enemy greater than the mind.
Never trust this inimical mind. At times, it appears to think good thoughts, meaning it occasionally acts favourably, but only to deceive you. The state of the mind is as dangerous as an unfaithful wife who, while sitting in her husband's lap, thinks of another man. Therefore, never trust it. But this is exactly what we do. When the mind says, "I feel like eating rasgulla; I feel like sleeping now," you trust it because it gives you temporary pleasure.
Since you can directly perceive the world, you make do with its temporary and perishable happiness. On the contrary, you cannot directly perceive God; only a handful of saints have declared that there is bliss in Him. The rest of the world is running after worldly pleasures. You have wasted countless lives in the hope of finding happiness in the material world.
Just reflect on one question - Who are you? You are not the body. You can see with your own eyes that this body remains here when 'someone' departs. The body is made of five gross elements. So, who departs? The one who desires happiness is someone else, who cannot be perceived. It is the one that makes this body function. That is your true self. Understand this. It is not a gross object like the material world. No scientific device can detect it. Great scientists have attempted various techniques to observe where the soul departs, but they have not succeeded in seeing it.
So, you only need to make one decision: resolve firmly in your mind that you are the subtle soul, the soul is a part of the Supreme Soul, and the Supreme Soul alone is your true subject. God grants humans 10, 20, or 50 years in which to decide during this period that you are the soul. The world is made of the five gross elements. Even if you attain everything in the world, you will not attain the bliss you seek -
yatpṛthivyāṃ vrīhi yavaṃ hiraṇyaṃ paśava: striya:। nālamekasya paryāptaṃ tasmāttṛṣṇāṃ parityajet॥.
Instead, you will undoubtedly become proud, thinking, "I have become the king of the entire world." This destroys whatever humanity and humility you may have. Obtaining worldly opulence turns a person into a devil -
nahiṃ kou asa janamā jaga māhīṃ।
prabhutā pāi jāhi mada nāhīṃ॥
Even yogis cannot escape this. This disease is so subtle that one does not even realise they have become proud. One praises oneself in solitude, thinking, "I am free from pride. I give to charity."
Worldly joys are sweet, but mixed with poison that will kill you. The more you indulge in worldly pleasures, the more your desires will increase. This world exacerbates the disease rather than curing it. Outwardly, behave as the world demands, fulfilling your duties and acting as if you love everyone. If you speak of philosophy there, people will consider you insane, place you in a mental asylum, and make your life difficult. Yet, understand that everyone is selfish; everyone - including you - seeks their own happiness.
Therefore, decide: "I am not the body. Therefore, I cannot attain happiness from the world. My bliss lies 'only' in Shri Krishna," and fix your mind on God. Do not listen to this mind. Do not forget the word 'only,' because you have a habit of saying 'also.' This conviction will become firm by repeated contemplation -
śrotavyo 'maṃtavyo' nidhidhyāsitavyo maitreyī.
Merely hearing the words of the Guru and the scriptures will not benefit you, as you will forget them. The worldly attachment is so strong that even great people forget philosophical knowledge. Only repeated contemplation will make the conviction firm: "I am the soul, not the body. The relatives of the body are all selfish and temporary. Hari and Guru alone are my everything." Just keep thinking about this - there is nothing you need to do but think. It is the mind that needs to be mended. The poor physical senses are not at fault. Since the mind has ruined you, you must repeatedly contemplate using this very mind.
In countless births, you have committed infinite sins. Therefore, if someone in this world is causing you misery, it is a clear sign that you must have inflicted similar pain on someone in a past life, and you are now reaping the fruits of your own actions. It is important not to blame God for this.
Do not attempt to eliminate desires; instead, divert and redirect them towards God, and you will attain the goal. You cannot stop the mind from going toward the world or toward God. The mind is a machine that will always continue to work. It never stops. It accompanies you even after death. Seeking happiness in worldly objects is a disease that afflicts all individual souls. There are only five desires - sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. Make those desires related to God. Bliss exists there - so desire to see Him, to hear His voice, to listen to His flute, and so on. This is called upāsanā/bhakti.
You have the same senses, mind, and intellect that saints have. The difference lies only in how they are used. Devotion to God is the proper use of the human body.
There is a beautiful verse in the Quran -
vamā khalaktula jinna vala iṁsā illā liyābudūna।
"O humans! God has created you for the worship of God." This human body has been given by God. In the womb, you cried a lot: “I am dying. Where am I lying? O Lord! Please take me out of this hell. I will worship You alone.”
And God brought you out. Then this mummy-daddy, etc., trapped you by saying, "You are mine; I am yours," and you got trapped. Therefore, just divert desires - nothing else has to be done.
terā nāma mohana goviṃda rādhe।
taba mānūṁ merā mana mohike dikhā de।
"O Shri Krishna! You enchanted even the mind of Kamadeva, the most powerful enchanter in the world. Hence, You attained the name Mohan. But I have some doubts about this. I am troubled by this mind, which has given me suffering for countless births. Enchant my mind and bring it close to you so that I become free. It is then that I will believe that you are the true 'Mohan,' the enchanter."
Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:
