The Shackles Of Desires

Sathya Sai Baba

-Staff

By Staff

Tuesday, April 1, 2008, 12:49

Sri Sathya Sai Baba gives a simple example in one of his discourses about desires. There is an earthen pot with a narrow neck. People make use of an earthen pot to catch monkeys. What do they do? They keep some peanuts in it. The monkey puts its hand into the earthen pot with the narrow neck to grab the peanuts with its fist. As a result, the grip becomes tight and its hand cannot come out.

Thinking that someone is pulling its hand, which is making it difficult to pull the hand out, the monkey starts jumping. Who is holding the monkey's hand in the pot? No one is. Why can't the monkey take its hand out of the pot? The monkey's hand is not released because it is gripping the peanuts tightly in its fist.

In order to take out its hand, what should the monkey do? Release the peanuts so its hand can come out safely. Its fist is caught in the pot because of its grip. The monkey's hand can be released only if its grip is loosened.

Similarly, the individual is the monkey and the world is the pot. Attachment is the grip. Sensory pleasures are the peanuts. So our sensory, worldly pleasures are peanuts that we hold in a tight grip, which is bondage.

Being in the position of the monkey, whose hand is contained in the pot of this world, I begin to dance. What should I do? I should give up all sensual desires; I should drop desire so that I can be free from it. In fact, the monkey was free earlier. It was caught because it put its hand into the pot, and held all the nuts in a tight grip. The monkey was free and jumping around before it put its hand in the pot. That started the problem.

Bondage Is One's Own Making

Similarly, we are free, we are liberated, and we are in the state of nirvana. We are heavenly. But when we put our hand in the pot of the world, we catch hold of its sensual desires. Sensual desires become our bondage. When we give up desires, we are free again and in the state of nirvana.

Therefore, my friends, bondage is not external. Bondage is not imposed by anyone. Bondage is not given to you as a gift from someone. Bondage is of our own making. We bind ourselves; therefore we are restless. We are not able to be free, so we dance. That is the situation.

Do we know that? If we know that, why does everyone say they want moksha? Where is that moksha? Let me know. Where is that heaven? I want nirvana. How does it taste? What is its form? Is it fair or dark, tall or short? How do you know where heaven is? How do you know what moksha is? Can you define nirvana? No, no, no!

Nirvana, moksha, or heaven is the blissful state in which we are born and in which we live. It is our original, innate, inborn, true nature. But as we get into the grip of this world and get involved with its sensual pleasures and worldly desires, we become bound. When we leave this world, we are blissful again.

Therefore, my friends, it is desire which is the bondage. Bondage is nothing but desire. To be desireless is liberation. To be full of desire is to run after bondage. To be desireless is the natural state of bliss in which we are born.