nirākāṅkṣa or desirelessness

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté


Think about a desire. One has it one their mind and then pursues its accomplishment. It is there day-in and day-out. Once the object of desire is obtained ( a car, house, grade, promotion, bike, shoes, dress, pants, boat, hair style, etc ) the desire has been fulfilled and one feels some happiness.

Now, did that object have 'happiness' designed into it? Was that a ~feature~ on the car's list of accessories, or on the bike's bill of material list ? Where then does that happiness reside ? It must be in you. Let's look at it from a different point of view.


A desire arises and is there... for some this is a heavy or a light experience, yet it is there. Some say they are even troubled by desires - I must get this, accomplish that, acquire this for a list of sundry reasons. Once this object of desire is achieved the desire is no longer nagging the native. I submit to your good reason that the happiness one experiences is the retirement of the desire in the mind and a level of peace of not having to pursue this desire any longer. This is the happiness - the sudden absence, releasing the burden of desire from one's mind and not the new possession.

Yet this cycle starts again and again. It is till one begins to figure out nirākāṅkṣa¹ that we begin to crack the code. It is the same for the house holder who wishes the new home, or the yogi that wants to experience samādhi again, when one is set in expectations.

This is why over the ages desires (cikīrṣā¹ or ruci or lubh ) has been looked at as the culprit to disturbing one's peace of mind.

Why so ? We will take this up in the next several posts.

iti śivaṁ

words

• nirākāṅkṣa - expecting or wishing nothing , desireless ; wanting nothing to fill up; complete
• cikīrṣā - intention or desire to make or do or perform
• ruci - taking pleasure in , desirous of
• lubh - to desire greatly or eagerly , long for

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

Now, did that object have 'happiness' designed into it? Was that a ~feature~ on the car's list of accessories, or on the bike's bill of material list ?

Consider the wisdom found in the chāndogya upaniṣad¹, where sanatkumāra is instructing nārada and says, nālpe sukham asti or finite (alpa) things do not (na) contain happiness (sukha).

We can see that the wise have known this - that objects (finite things) do not contain happiness (sukha¹) for some time. It does not reside witin the object but within the Being of the person.


iti śivaṁ

• chāndogya upaniṣad - Chapter 7.23.1
• sukha - happiness ; personified as a child of dharma and siddhi; joy , delight