Giving Up Material Desires through the Transcendental Strength of Devotional Service
The entangled conditioned soul wanders through the cycle of birth and death, driven by an endless stream of material hankerings. To achieve true peace and liberation, one must learn the art of Giving Up Material Desires, not by artificially stopping the function of the mind, but by purifying it through contact with the Supreme. The following sections explore how devotional service acts as the transformative agent that shifts our attachment from the temporary to the eternal.
Impossibility of Voidism and the Nature of True Desirelessness
Many philosophers advocate the complete cessation of desire as the goal of life, but Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that for a living being, total desirelessness is impossible. We are not inert matter; thus, the perfection of life is not to kill desire, which is a symptom of life, but to cleanse it of material contamination.
- Sunyavadi-nirvana means to give up material desires. It is not possible to give up desires. That is not possible. To give up desires means I am dead body, a stone. If I have got life, if I am not a stone, there must be desires.
- Lord Buddha advocated that we give up all material desires. It is not possible to become desireless, but it is possible to give up material desires.
- When one gives up these material desires, then he is desireless. But one cannot be desireless. That is not possible. Then he is dead and gone. So desirelessness means no material desires.
Potency of Devotional Service and Kṛṣṇa-kathā
One cannot give up deep-rooted attachments simply by willpower; one requires a superior engagement. Devotional service is described as a "potent medicine" and a strong force that naturally displaces material desires by providing the superior pleasure of kṛṣṇa-kathā and service to the Lord.
- Devotional service is so strong that when one engages in it, he gradually gives up all material desires and becomes fully attracted to the lotus feet of Krsna. All this is brought about by attraction for the transcendental qualities of the Lord.
- Karmis, or persons attached to material sense enjoyment, generally cannot give up their material desires, but krsna-katha is such a potent medicine that if one is induced to hear krsna-kirtana, he will certainly be freed from this disease.
- When someone engages in Lord Krsna's devotional service for the satisfaction of the senses and instead acquires a taste for serving Krsna, he gives up his material desires and willingly offers himself as an eternal servant of Krsna.
Role of the Pure Devotee
The catalyst for leaving the dark well of material existence is often the mercy of a Vaiṣṇava. Even those who are confused about the self or addicted to material enjoyment can be rectified and enlightened solely by associating with and following the instructions of an unalloyed devotee.
- A conditioned soul falsely thinks himself happy in the material world, but if he is favored by the instructions of an unalloyed devotee, he gives up his desire for material enjoyment and becomes enlightened in Krsna consciousness.
- One is elevated to the platform of devotional life by the mercy of a Vaisnava, the bona fide spiritual master, and by the special mercy of Krsna. On that platform, one gives up all material desires and the association of unwanted people.
- Dhruva Maharaja said: Even those who believe that the body is the self, or those who are full of material desires, are also atmarama. When they associate with pure devotees, they give up their material desires & become perfect in the service of the Lord.
Liberation and the Original Constitutional Position
Giving up material desires is synonymous with liberation, or mukti. When a soul is freed from the burden of material hankerings, they are no longer indebted to the demigods or forefathers and are released from the repetition of birth and death, situated firmly in their eternal identity.
- Mukti means to give up all these material desires and be situated in your original constitutional position, Krsna consciousness. That is liberation.
- In this way (by performing devotional service to God) one can give up material desires, and as soon as one is freed from material desires, he is free from the repetition of birth and death, old age and disease.
- If a person gives up all material desires and completely engages in the transcendental loving service of Krsna, as enjoined in the revealed scriptures, he is never indebted to the demigods, sages or forefathers.
Conclusion
The process of Giving Up Material Desires is the essential journey from bondage to freedom. It is not an act of negation, but an act of engagement in the positive reality of spiritual life. As Śrīla Prabhupāda instructs, when one attains the platform of devotional service, the attraction to the temporary naturally fades, replaced by an eternal attraction to the transcendental qualities of Kṛṣṇa.
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 Giving Up Material Desires. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.