Thirukkural-On Virtue-Elimination Of Desire-Kural 366

Tuesday, April 6, 2010, 10:32

Anjuva thoarum arane oruvanai
Vanjippa thoarum ava

Desire is what cheats a man out of his birthright;
Only conquest of desire is, therefore, true virtue

Every man"s birthright is the pursuit of truth and the attainment of final release, or heaven. It is desire that stands in the way of this achievement. It follows naturally that the full eradication of all desire is the only way to real virtue and its ultimate fulfillment of the objective of release. Vigilance against desire is, therefore, the essence of all moral code.

All religions lay great emphasis on the renunciation of worldly attachments as the path to salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ was indicating such a path to the young man who wanted to be perfect, when He told him,

'Go sell all thou hast, give to the poor;
and come and follow Me" (Mat: 19:21)

in the Bhagavad Gita, of course, conquest of desire is the all-prevading central message.