What are the different kinds of desires?

Question:  What are the different kinds of desires?

Swami Ramsukhdasji:  A man has desires of four types - Artha (Wealth); Dharma (Righteousness), "Kaama" (Passion) and Moksha (Salvation). Artha is achievement of material wealth and prosperity and reputation. Dharma includes acts of sacrifice, penance, charity, fasting and pilgrimage, performed with or without desire for their fruit. Kaama is mundane pleasures that result from sound, touch (pleasure born of contact), form (pleasure derived from seeing beautiful objects), taste (pleasure from tasting delicious things), smell (pleasure through beautiful fragrances, flowers etc), honor, praise and comfort (pleasure from idleness, laziness, and comforts). Moksha (salvation) is Self Realization, Benediction, Salvation, and God Realization.

Of these four, wealth and righteousness enhance each other. But if both are utilized to satisfy desires, then after satisfying the desire, both wealth and righteousness perish. Desire devours both of these. Therefore Lord declares in the Gita that "Desires are insatiable" and He asks Arjuna to kill this enemy i.e. Desire (Gita 3: 37-43).

From "The Bhagavad Gita - Sadhak Sanjivani" in English pg 1867

Question:  How to get rid of desire for worldly possessions and enjoyments?

Swami Ramsukhdasji:  We are busy hoarding and delighting in things that we know for certain to be perishable. This is a dangerous tendency on our part. We must change this attitude and begin to think about how we can bring greater happiness to others. Let this begin at home to start with. Our aim should be to bring greater happiness to our parents, spouse, children, but at the same time expecting nothing in return.

Generally we tend to only do and give happiness to those from whom we hope to get something in return. Here lies the main bondage. Therefore it is important that you do good to others without expecting anything in return.

From "Ancient Idealism for Modern day Living" in English pg. 11

Question:  Desire for the world and desire for God, both desire appear quite contrary and opposing, do these reside in one place?

Swami Ramsukhdasji:  Yes, both these desires reside in one place. Where there is desire for enjoyment of worldly pleasures, there itself is also desire for salvation. When desire for worldly enjoyments are concluded, desire for God (Supreme Consciousness) will be awakened. Wiping out the desire for worldly desires will automatically on it's own result in fulfillment of desire for God. But worldly desires will never be satisfied. In spite of millions of births, then too these desires will remain un-fulfilled, and more so, new desires will continue to manifest - "Jimi pratilaabh, lobh adhikaayi."

Question:  How do both these desires reside in the same place?

Swami Ramsukhdasji:  One desire you have held on to, and the other desire is there innately in us (Self). Worldly desires you have grabbed onto, whereas, desire for God (Supreme Consciousness) is in you, in your Self. The desire to remain alive for ever, to have no lack of knowledge (ignorance) remaining in us, and to remain ever and eternally happy at all times - these desires are of the Self, whereas desire for enjoyment of worldly pleasures are not desires of the Self.

The inspiration behind all desires is your Self. If by the Self, if you leave worldly desires, then they can never remain or last. That whose fulfillment is impossible, should certainly be given up. The reason worldly desires are not fulfilled is because the world is "not" and deisre for God (Supreme Consciousness is fulfilled because that Supreme Consciousness "IS". Worldly objects never remain forever. They are destroyed. But God (Supreme Consciousness) ever remains.

From "The Bhagavad Gita - Sadhak Sanjivani" in English pg 1867