Entanglement of Unfulfilled Desires

The material world is a place of frustration, primarily because the living entity attempts to fulfill desires that are constitutionally incompatible with the soul's nature. Known as kāma or lust, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that these desires are insatiable. This article explores the mechanism of entanglement caused by unfulfilled desires, illustrating how they bind the soul to the cycle of saṁsāra and how the only escape lies in the purification of desire through devotional service.

Engine of Reincarnation

The transmigrating soul is carried from one body to another by the subtle body—mind, intelligence, and false ego—which is a reservoir of desires. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that death does not kill desire; rather, the specific nature of one's unfulfilled desires at the time of death determines the next body. Thus, as long as one has a list of material wants, nature must provide a new vessel to attempt their fulfillment.

• Liberation means freedom from lusty desires because it is only due to such desires that one must accept repeated birth and death. As long as one's lusty desires are unfulfilled, one must take birth after birth to fulfill them.
• No one dies fully satisfied by the fulfillment of material desires, for that is not possible. Therefore at the time of one's death one is very sorry, being unable to fulfill his desires. By the laws of nature one is then offered another body.

Psychology of Anger and Frustration

When a material desire is obstructed, it invariably transforms into krodha, or anger. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that this anger bewilders the intelligence and causes the living entity to act irrationally or sinfully. This psychological progression is a law of material nature: where there is material lust, there will inevitably be frustration, followed by wrath.

• The younger brother of desire is anger. If one's desire is not fulfilled, the younger brother, anger, follows.
• The Lord is never affected by any kind of wrath, so how can there be any place for lust, which is less strong than wrath? When lust or desire is not fulfilled, there is the appearance of wrath.
• When strong lusty desires for sense gratification are unfulfilled, one becomes angry. This anger can be satisfied when one chastises his enemy.

Insatiable Nature of Material Desire

Material desire is often termed duṣpūram, meaning "never to be fulfilled." The materialistic way of life is an attempt to put out a fire by pouring fuel on it. The more one tries to satisfy the senses, the more the desires expand. This leads to a frantic existence where the living entity is never peaceful, always hankering for "more, more, more."

• These materialistic person, demons, their desires are never fulfilled - increasing, increasing, increasing; more, more more. So that means, increasing means, we are becoming implicated more and more.
• These lusty desires, unless you live a very regulated life, it will be duspuram, it will never be fulfilled - always desire, always desire. So these demons, they accept the shelter of lusty desire which will never be fulfilled, will never be satiated.

Peace of the Devotee

In contrast to the karmis, jñānīs, and yogis, who all harbor unfulfilled ambitions for sense gratification, liberation, or power, the pure devotee is perfectly peaceful. This is not because the devotee has fulfilled all material desires, but because he has given them up entirely in favor of serving the Lord. Without personal desire, there is no question of frustration.

• The fruitive workers, the salvationists, and also the yogis who are after mystic powers are all unhappy because of unfulfilled desires. But the person in Krsna consciousness is happy in the service of the Lord, and he has no desires to be fulfilled.
• In the liberated state, everything is blissful in relation with the Lord, and one has no desires to fulfill and nothing to lament over. Thus, following the benediction, full spiritual bliss comes upon us.

Conclusion

The entanglement of unfulfilled desires is the root cause of suffering in the material world. As Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches, whether one attempts to satisfy them through hard work or end them through suicide, the subtle desires persist, forcing the soul into new bodies and new miseries. The only solution is to transfer one's attachment from matter to Kṛṣṇa. When the desire is purified and directed toward the Supreme, the heart becomes satisfied, and the blazing fire of material existence is extinguished.

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Unfulfilled Desires. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.

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