Should we control our desires or should we follow our curiosity?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So the question is that on one side it says don’t desire the desire, but on the other side it says follow your curiosity. So is there a difference between desire and curiosity? If we act according to our Dharma, then are we going to follow our curiosity? Yes, definitely.
We can differentiate between there are different words which you could use for this. I think I introduced this concept in the third chapter and I talked about instincts and impulses. So we all have certain desires which are casual.
Just come, they stay for some time and then they go away. And certain desires which are very deep and not just deep in terms of desires that drag us down. Something which we feel strongly about.
So if somebody is intellectual, they will naturally want to read intellectual subject matter. So that is just their nature and that can’t be changed. But they could read intellectual subject matter that is atheistic.
Atheists can also write intellectual books. But they can also read intellectual books that are theistic. So that are spiritually uplifting.
So basically we could say that we we we more than saying no to more than specifically differentiating curiosity and desire. We have to recognize that we have to have a purpose. And that purpose will be like our strongest desire.
And when we say yes to that purpose then we say no to other things. Now discovering our purpose may take a long time. Some people may be fortunate and they may just recognize these are my talents, these are my abilities.
This is what I want to do. Others may not be that fortunate. But we can just see within our context what is it that is most valuable for me, most important for me.
In a sense we can try to take responsibility for ourselves. Like I said become observer of our thoughts in the 14th chapter. So we can become an observer of ourselves.
This person is over here right now. And this person over here has these strengths, these weaknesses, these opportunities, these threats. We can talk about sort analysis.
So look at that. What is the best that this person can do? And then try to do that. So if we act in this way what will happen by this is gradually we will start making healthier choices.
And once we assign a particular purpose for ourselves purpose provides perspective. And ok this is important for me, I cultivate this desire and I follow this curiosity and other things I say no to. So we all ultimately we have to learn, move toward Krishna and attain Krishna.
But we will channel our individuality in moving toward the ultimate reality. How I will move toward Krishna is different from how you will move toward Krishna. Because you are a separate individual, I am a separate individual.
You have a particular body and mind, I have a particular body and mind. So according to our particular nature we can serve Krishna. And that’s why overall if we take responsibility for ourselves and decide on a purpose and how do we learn our purpose that’s also a long time and a big answer.
Quickly I will say over here that it’s intelligence, experience and guidance. We use our intelligence to understand what our strengths and weaknesses are. We look at our own experience to see what has worked for us, what works for us, what we also feel comfortable doing, what we are competent at doing and then we take guidance from others.
So by this when we have a purpose that we say yes to then we can say no to our casual desires keep popping up. One of my main services is writing. Now while writing I can just get caught in reading many many authors to see how can I learn their style.
How can I learn a proper style from them, a contemporary style from them. Well that’s good but I can’t be an endless reader and I never write. So I have to make sure that my desires, where I am following my curiosity is serving my purpose and not destructing me from my purpose.
So Arjuna had a natural attraction towards weapons. Towards especially archery and he developed that and he became a great archer for Krishna. I am talking more in terms of not desiring our desires.
The many casual and stream stimuli that pop up in our mind and in our world constantly. And we don’t get diverted and distracted by them but we stay focused purposefully. Does it answer your question?