What is the purpose of desires?
MAHARISHI: “Advancement, evolution. [Maharishi laughs] Desire is not binding, as the whole world has been mistakenly understanding for the last thousand years: “The desire is bondage!” The desire is NOT the bondage! Inability to maintain our Self in the midst of all desires is bondage!
Desire is the basis of evolution - because always the desire is for more and more and more. And it’s legitimate for any level of life to desire for higher level, for higher level. That is life! There is a word in Sanskrit: “Sansâr”, and Sansâr means “the World”. Sansâr and from the root it comes from: “Sansarati iti sansârah”, that is that which goes on and on and on it goes on, even though changing but it goes on, on, on, on. That is Sansâr!
So, it is the nature of the world to go on and on and on. And going on and on and on is on the basis of desire. More and more and more. Whether one gains more or not but always there is that temptation there is that flow of life towards that more and more and more.
“More and more” belongs to nature! It’s natural. The whole process of evolution is carried on the basis of desire. So, desire is not the bondage - the inability to save our Self in the waves of desires is bondage. Desire is elevating. [Maharishi laughs] Desire is elevating, desire is the basis of all progress. Desire is leading to fulfillment.
The inability of the Self to maintain itself is the cause of bondage. And Self begins to maintain itself when the mind becomes familiar with it. When the Self comes on the conscious level then the Self begins to maintain itself. As long as the Self is not on the conscious level, it can’t be maintained.”
---Maharishi, Rishikesh, 1967
Desire is the basis of evolution - because always the desire is for more and more and more. And it’s legitimate for any level of life to desire for higher level, for higher level. That is life! There is a word in Sanskrit: “Sansâr”, and Sansâr means “the World”. Sansâr and from the root it comes from: “Sansarati iti sansârah”, that is that which goes on and on and on it goes on, even though changing but it goes on, on, on, on. That is Sansâr!
So, it is the nature of the world to go on and on and on. And going on and on and on is on the basis of desire. More and more and more. Whether one gains more or not but always there is that temptation there is that flow of life towards that more and more and more.
“More and more” belongs to nature! It’s natural. The whole process of evolution is carried on the basis of desire. So, desire is not the bondage - the inability to save our Self in the waves of desires is bondage. Desire is elevating. [Maharishi laughs] Desire is elevating, desire is the basis of all progress. Desire is leading to fulfillment.
The inability of the Self to maintain itself is the cause of bondage. And Self begins to maintain itself when the mind becomes familiar with it. When the Self comes on the conscious level then the Self begins to maintain itself. As long as the Self is not on the conscious level, it can’t be maintained.”
---Maharishi, Rishikesh, 1967
