Redirect Worldly Desires for a Higher Purpose

What are Worldly Desires?

Worldly desires are those that are motivated by wanting to access: (a) tangible objects (e.g., wealth, technology, sources of entertainment, etc.) for the pleasure of the senses, and (b) intangible things (e.g., success, power, prestige, escape from boredom, etc.) for the satisfaction of the ego. 

Most human beings desire basic needs like food, drink, sleep, safety, belongingness, etc. Fulfillment of these basic needs is vital for the survival and sustenance of life. However, overindulgence in worldly desires for sensory and egoistic pleasures can be self-destructive and incongruent with the standards of propriety for social, moral, physical mental, and spiritual health.

Why are Worldly Desires so Harmful?

Most human beings are motivated into action by the desire to seek happiness. It could be innocuous desires like taking care of the family, enhancing the career, appreciating the finer things in life, expanding one’s intellect, developing relationships, engaging in recreational activities, etc. Having desires per se is not wrong; it is only when the subjective experience of seeking pleasure from worldly desires becomes the goal in life, that humans are driven to irrational and harmful behavior. Let us first understand why worldly desires in the extreme are harmful.

1. Worldly Desires are Endless. There is no end to worldly desires because the mind is made of Maya and our sense organs are drawn to self-seeking pleasures. Under the powerful influence of Maya, human beings become attached to worldly things and fail to use intellectual logic to control sensory or egoistic pleasures. For example, Dhritrashtra was so intensely attached to his own sons, that he acted in accordance with their disastrous desires, rather than to follow the path of righteousness. He was morally weak focused on fulfilling Duryodhan’s ignoble desires. As Lord Krishna explained to Arjun:

यततो ह्यपि कौन्तेय पुरुषस्य विपश्चित: |
इन्द्रियाणि प्रमाथीनि हरन्ति प्रसभं मन: || 60||

yatato hyapi kaunteya puruṣhasya vipaśhchitaḥ
indriyāṇi pramāthīni haranti prasabhaṁ manaḥ

The senses are so strong and turbulent, O son of Kunti, that they can forcibly carry away the mind even of a person endowed with discrimination and practicing self-control. [Bhagavad Gita 2.60]

 

2. Suppression of Worldly Desires is Ineffective. It may be futile to suppress worldly desires because it requires effortful inhibition of pleasurable experiences. Inhibiting desires can sometimes have the opposite effect as per the Ironic Effects Theory (see 7 Divine Laws, p. 89). Instead of decreasing attachment, suppression tends to focus the mind even more on the objects of attachment. Research by Hofmann and colleagues has shown that more temporally recent a person’s inhibition of temptation of one kind (e.g., not watching TV shows), the lower the ability to resist subsequent temptations (e.g., no binge eating). The Law of Sublimation (7 Divine Laws, p. 93) suggests that suppression does not work.


3. Worldly Desires Degrade the Soul. Human beings are so heavily under the influence of Maya that even at the time of death, they are unable to detach from worldly desires. Swami Mukundananda explains that attachment and desire are the sources of all mental afflictions. Lord Krishna explains to Arjun that repeated contemplation and subsequent attachment to worldly desires is the root of all mental afflictions. 

ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंस: सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते |
सङ्गात्सञ्जायते काम: कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते || 62||

dhyāyato viṣhayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣhūpajāyate
saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho ’bhijāyate

While contemplating on the objects of the senses, one develops attachment to them. Attachment leads to desire, and from desire arises anger. [Bhagavad Gita 2.62]

 

When worldly desires are fulfilled, human beings are filled with greed and continue their pursuit of endless desires. On the other hand, unfulfilled desires land souls into the unholy nexus that degrades the soul. Additionally, the indiscriminate pursuit of worldly desires blocks the path toward a higher purpose in life for which we have received the human form. It is impossible for the soul to not contemplate true happiness because it is a tiny fragment of the ocean of eternal happiness – God. The solution then is to seek happiness in the proper direction” (Science of Mind Management, p. 82).

How can we Redirect Worldly Desires for a Higher Purpose?

The faculty of knowledge gives human beings the capacity to make intelligent choices to live a purposeful life. The point here is not to give up all worldly desires (which is impossible), but to redirect attention to higher goals and aspirations to elevate the soul. 

1. Replace Lower Attachment with Higher Ones. When we repeatedly contemplate on anything in the divine realm – God’s names, forms, virtues, pastimes, abodes, and saints, then the mind will start to develop an attachment to the all-pure Supreme God. If the intellect is convinced that true happiness lies in loving devotion and service to God, then it will repeatedly contemplate on the divine realm and forgo the short-term material pleasures that plague the mind (Science of Mind Management, p. 55). “While material desires bind the soul, noble desires uplift us (p. 56).” By dovetailing the mind with an intense desire for God, the lower desires will be gradually be replaced while also purifying the intentions. This is what attracts divine grace. 
2. Close the Intention-Behavior Gap. We desire to change from the inside and may even engage in daily sadhana, however, if our resolve and commitment are weak, then we will not be able to put in the effort that is needed to achieve the goal. In 7 Divine Laws, Swamiji says that “…our human nature wants quick fixes—excellence without toil, and perfection without practice. But life mastery and enlightenment are not cheap bargains. They are achieved through sacrifice, dedication, and perseverance” (p. 36). We may have good intentions, but we need to convert them into a habit that strengthens the resolve to achieve higher-level goals.
3. Make Good Choices for a Meaningful Life. We are aware that between the letters “B” (birth) and “D” (death) is the letter “C” (choices). The choices that we make, determine the future of our life and soul. In 7 Divine Laws, Swamiji illustrated an example of Satya Nadella and his classmate, Ramu Mithyavardhanulu (p. 32). Even though Mithyavardhanulu was an IIT graduate, he chose frivolous enjoyment whereas Nadella consistently chose growth and meaningful work over pleasure. While his friend squandered his life away by making poor choices, Nadella became the world-renowned CEO of Microsoft and lived a purposeful life.
4. Choose Highly Valued Goals in Life. When the goals in life are of little value, then the effort toward accomplishing these will also be low. Such people fall into the trap of indulging in worldly desires that conflict with highly valued goals. Thus, it is more beneficial to choose highly valued goals to live a purposeful life. You could aim to accomplish goals beyond the satisfaction of the self – serve those adversely affected by the pandemic, contribute to charitable organizations that educate and serve the poor, enable others to rise on the spiritual path, etc. 
5. Cultivate Goal-Congruent Habits. We need to objectively evaluate which activities make us experience true happiness and lead to satisfaction of time well spent. If volunteering at a soup kitchen, distributing clothes to homeless people, tutoring children with special needs, listening to divine knowledge, chanting holy names, or contemplating on self-improvement fills the heart with joy, then we must tap into the power of habits to push the gravitational pull of worldly desires aside. We can seek support from others with similar goals for group support and commitment.