“O my wealth-coveting and foolish soul, when will you succeed in emancipating yourself from the desire for wealth? Shame on my foolishness! I have been your toy! It is thus that one becomes a slave of others. No one born on earth did ever attain to the end of desire…. Without doubt, O Desire, your heart is as hard as adamant, since though affected by a hundred distresses, you do not break into pieces! I know you, O Desire, and all those things that are dear to you! The desire for wealth can never bring happiness.”
– Mahabharata – Santi Parva 177
Kabir – The couplet
कबीर जग की को कहै, भौजलि बुडे दास ।
परब्रह्म पति छड़ी करी, कराइ मान की आस ॥
Transliterated:
Kabir Jag Ki Ko Kahai, Bhoujli Bude Daas |
Parabrahm Pati Chhadi Kari, Karaai Maan Ki Aas ||
Translation:
Says Kabir, why complain about the ordinary man, even devotees succumb|
Forgetting the true aim of their devotion, they go chasing after fame and praise ||
My understanding:
Desire is the one weapon that destroys all in its path, before turning on the wielder, destroying him and then and only then, does it self-destruct.
Desire drives us to lengths we would not even believe possible or acknowledge the existence of – it pushes us into dark corridors and forces us to squirm our way into untenable situations. In the early stages, it gives us a false sense of prosperity and well being, allowing us to believe that the others who warned of the impending dangers are wrong – this is in our best interest. It is only when we are so invested in it that there is no turning back, that it reveals its true dark side – but by then, two things have already happened.
- Lenses that warp all true representations of reality have been immovably attached to our senses, so we will not be able to perceive reality, as we should.
- Our belief structure has been changed to believe in the genuineness of the desire, so that even the best-intentioned of people can no longer change our view
So now it is too late to turn back – and hope has to move on to the next person, abandoning me to the eons of lost souls.
How do we turn back here? Only one way – listen to your own conscience. To the very end, it is diligently at work, trying to redeem us and lead us into the true light. So, before all is lost, give conscience its true worth, and its rightful place in the court of the self. And pay attention – for desire can reduce the voice of conscience to a silent whisper, even if it cannot completely silence it!