The thoughts of desire, which are a combination of knowledge and feeling, are indeed very strong. It just does not die out with the passage of time. Even if we put in very hard physical and mental efforts, our desires do not die so easily.
In the hammer on illusions, Moha Mudgara, Sri Adi Shankaracharyaji’s disciple Sri Hastamalakacharya gives an interesting picture of a sadhaka. He has a fire set in front of him. He is scorched by the hot sun behind. This is the manner he spends his whole day in tapasya, standing on one leg.
At night it is very cold. Probably in the Himalayan mountainside he is practising his austerity. He does not light a fire for himself. Instead, he spends the whole night, not sleeping, sitting with legs huddled together, encircled by his hands and knees touching the cheeks.
The sketch of a diehard seeker can’t get more intense. He is begging for his food, not with a plate or a bowl, but only as much as his hands can hold. If he lies down, it is not on some soft mattress with pillows, but on the ground beneath a tree—that’s where he lives too.
What is the use ultimately of such difficult efforts, asks the teacher. Even then, the bonds of hope and desire do not break. Once the seeker is back to his normal life, the desires come running back to hug him tight.
The picture is to show how difficult it is to conquer desire, and at the end of it all, it is not possible too. Can nothing be done about it? Well, the Patanjali Yoga Sutra shows the way. There are only two steps for sadhana or self-effort. One step is to have faith, strength, constant remembrance of the goal and daily practice of absorption of the mind. This is a rather difficult path. It is lonely and tough out there. The other simpler path is Ishwara Pranidhana or surrender to Ishwara.
Who is this Ishwara? Is it the God we worship? Patanjali Maharishi leaves no scope for doubt on that. He says Ishwara or the Master is a special person who is untouched by the maladies of life such as ignorance, arrogance, desire and aversion; clinging to dear life, he does not own any actions to his credit; and hence, the results of actions do not bind him.
He is not conditioned by time. He is the first person before the first second—unit of time—came into existence. He is the Master that shows the light for all other Masters to follow. Holding on to such a person in our lives can help us conquer our otherwise invincible desires and realise our true potential.
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