Real Desire vs. Artificial Desire
A fundamental question for every spiritual seeker is: "What do I actually want?" We are filled with countless longings, but which of them are authentic to our true self, and which are merely products of material conditioning? Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that "real desire" is the soul's innate calling for connection with the Absolute Truth, while "artificial desire" is the distraction of the temporary body. This article explores the difference between these two categories of volition and how to cultivate the real over the false.
Impossibility of Voidism
The first step in understanding real desire is to reject the notion of voidism. A living entity cannot stop desiring any more than a fire can stop emitting heat. The attempt to become desireless is ultimately futile because life implies desire. Therefore, the spiritual path is not about the negation of desire, but the purification of it—shifting from "other" desires to the "real" desire.
- Desire cannot be completely absent because I am living entity. So my desire should be not to forget Krsna. That's all, that one desire. That is real desire. All other desires, they are foolish. We cannot be desireless, but we should desire only bona fide.
- No desire does not mean no desire for serving Krsna. That is real desire. Other desires are artificial. That is material. That is called Krsna consciousness. When all our desires are for serving Krsna.
Human Desire vs. Dog Desire
Śrīla Prabhupāda uses striking imagery to differentiate between material and spiritual goals. Desires centered on the body—eating, sleeping, mating, and defending—are shared by animals. To base one's life on these is to "desire like a dog." A human being, however, has the capacity for "real desire," which is the quest for the Absolute Truth and the cultivation of dormant love for God.
- To desire like the dog, that is other desire, and to desire like a human being, that is real desire. Our philosophy does not teach to become desireless. That is not possible. Desire must be there. But it should not be other desire.
- Real desired result is to invoke dormant love for Krsna.
Search for Eternity and Bliss
At the core of every being is a longing for three things: eternal existence, complete understanding, and unceasing happiness (sat-cid-ānanda). We search for these in the material world, but we are constantly frustrated because matter is temporary, ignorant, and miserable. Real desire, therefore, is the desire for that which is actually attainable only in the spiritual atmosphere—eternal service to the Lord.
- One thinks of a superior way of life in this country or that, or on this planet or another, but nowhere in the material world can he fulfill his real desire of life, namely eternal life, full intelligence and complete bliss.
- One's real desire should only be to achieve the stage of loving transcendental service to the Lord.
Danger of False Prestige
Even within spiritual life, artificial desires can intrude. One may outwardly practice renunciation or meditation, seemingly desiring spiritual advancement, but inwardly crave name and fame (pratiṣṭhāśā). Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that imitating great saints like Haridāsa Ṭhākura for the sake of social prestige is a manifestation of artificial desire, not the real desire to serve.
Conclusion
To distinguish between real and artificial desires is the work of intelligence. Artificial desires bind us to the cycle of birth and death, making us dance like puppets in the hands of material nature. Real desire liberates us. As Śrīla Prabhupāda exemplified in his own life, the real desire of a pure soul is simply to serve the mission of the Lord—to write books, to preach, and to give Kṛṣṇa consciousness to others. When this desire becomes our primary motive, we have found our real self.
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 Real Desire. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.