Desirelessness

āpūryamāṇam acala-pratiṣṭhaṁ

āpūryamāṇam acala-pratiṣṭhaṁ
samudram āpaḥ praviśanti yadvat |
tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarve
sa śāntim āpnoti na kāma-kāmī ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 2.70)

“One whom all objects of desire enter
Just as waters enter the ocean,
Which remains completely full and of unmoving boundaries,
Attains peace,
And not a desirer of objects of desire.”

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prajahāti yadā kāmān sarvān pārtha mano-gatān

prajahāti yadā kāmān sarvān pārtha mano-gatān |
ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ sthita-prajñas tadocyate ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 2.55)

“O Pārtha,
When one completely casts away
All desires situated in the mind,
Being satisfied in the self specifically
By means of the self,
Then one is said to be
One of steady wisdom (sthita-prajña).”

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tasmān mad-bhakti-yuktasya yogino vai mad-ātmanaḥ

tasmān mad-bhakti-yuktasya yogino vai mad-ātmanaḥ |
na jñānaṁ na ca vairāgyaṁ prāyaḥ śreyo bhaved iha ||
yat karmabhir yat tapasā jñāna-vairāgyataś ca yat |
yogena dāna-dharmeṇa śreyobhir itarair api ||
sarvaṁ mad-bhakti-yogena mad-bhakto labhate’ñjasā |
svargāpavargaṁ mad-dhāma kathañcid yadi vāñchati ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.20.31–33)

“Therefore, for a yogī engaged in bhakti to me with mind on me, neither jñāna nor vairāgya shall in general be a means of benefit here. What can come to be by means of righteous acts, what can come to be by means of austerity, and what can come to be by means of jñāna and vairāgya, as well as by yoga, charity, and other means of benefit—all of that, as well as Svarga, apavarga [i.e., mukti], and my abode, my bhakta attains quickly by means of the practice (yoga) of bhakti to me if one somehow desires [to attain any of those ends].”

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apīpalad dharma-rājaḥ pitṛvad rañjayan prajāḥ

apīpalad dharma-rājaḥ pitṛvad rañjayan prajāḥ |
niḥspṛhaḥ sarva-kāmebhyaḥ kṛṣṇa-pādānusevayā ||
sampadaḥ kratavo lokā mahiṣī bhrātaro mahī |
jambūdvīpādhipatyaṁ ca yaśaś ca tridivaṁ gatam ||
kiṁ te kāmāḥ sura-spārhā mukunda-manaso dvijāḥ |
adhijahrur mudaṁ rājñaḥ kṣudhitasya yathetare ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.12.4–6)

“Free from covetousness for all objects of desire by way of continuous service to the feet of Kṛṣṇa, Dharmarāja [viz., Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja], like his father, pleased and protected the citizens [of his kingdom]. Riches, sacrifices, planes [attained by the performance of sacrifices], queens, brothers, the earth, rulership over Jambūdvīpa, and fame situated in Svarga—O twice-born ones, like other objects [i.e., things other than food, like garlands and sandalwood paste] for one who is hungry, could these objects of desire, coveted by the devas, cause delight for the king, whose mind was given over to Mukunda? [Certainly not].”

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na rāja-rājeśvaratā-vibhūtīr

na rāja-rājeśvaratā-vibhūtīr
na divya-vastūni ca te bhavattaḥ |
na kāmayante’nyad apīha kiñcid
amutra ca prāpyam ṛte bhavantam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.6.79)

“[Śrī Uddhava to Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] From you, they [viz., the people of Vraja] desire neither the splendors of being a king or an emperor, nor heavenly objects, nor anything else attainable in this world or the next except you [i.e., they desire you alone and will never be satisfied by anything else].”

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patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati |
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 9.26)

[Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] “One who with bhakti offers a leaf, flower, fruit, or water to me—I partake of that offered out of bhakti from one of pure heart.”

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kiṁ durāpaṁ mayi prīte tathāpi vibudharṣabhāḥ

kiṁ durāpaṁ mayi prīte tathāpi vibudharṣabhāḥ |
mayy ekānta-matir nānyan matto vāñchati tattva-vit ||
na veda kṛpaṇaḥ śreya ātmano guṇa-vastu-dṛk |
tasya tān icchato yacched yadi so’pi tathā-vidhaḥ ||
svayaṁ niḥśreyasaṁ vidvān na vakty ajñāya karma hi |
na rāti rogiṇo’pathyaṁ vāñchato’pi bhiṣaktamaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 6.9.47–49)

“[Bhagavān Viṣṇu:] O best of the devatās! What is difficult to attain when I am pleased? [Nothing]. Still, a knower of the essence—one whose mind is one-pointed upon me—does not desire anything other than me. A pitiable seer of substance in [worldly] objects does not understand his own good. If at will someone shall give those [i.e., essenceless worldly objects] to him, [then] he too is of such sort [i.e., then that giver of worldly objects is also ignorant just like the desirer of them is]. One who has knowledge of the highest good himself certainly does not speak of karma to one who is ignorant. An excellent doctor does not administer that which is unsalutary for a patient even if [the patient is] desirous [of that].”

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nāsti tṛṣṇā-samaṁ duḥkhaṁ nāsti tyāga-samaṁ sukham

nāsti tṛṣṇā-samaṁ duḥkhaṁ nāsti tyāga-samaṁ sukham |
sarvān kāmān parityajya brahma-bhūyāya kalpate ||
(Unknown source)

“There is no suffering like desire. There is no satisfaction like renunciation. Completely relinquishing all desires, one becomes fit for the state of [i.e., experience of] Brahman.”

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mat-sevayā pratītaṁ te sālokyādi-catuṣṭayam

mat-sevayā pratītaṁ te sālokyādi-catuṣṭayam |
necchanti sevayā pūrṇāḥ kuto’nyat kāla-viplutam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 9.4.67)

“Being fulfilled by service [to me], they do not desire the four [types of mukti] beginning with sālokya [that can be] attained by service to me, much less anything else that is dissipated in time.”

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na vayaṁ sādhvi sāmrājyaṁ svārājyaṁ bhaujyam apy uta

na vayaṁ sādhvi sāmrājyaṁ svārājyaṁ bhaujyam apy uta |
vairājyaṁ pārameṣṭhyaṁ vā ānantyaṁ vā hareḥ padam ||
kāmayāmaha etasya śrīmat-pāda-rajaḥ śriyaḥ |
kuca-kuṅkuma-gandhāḍhyaṁ mūrdhnā voḍhuṁ gadābhṛtaḥ ||
vraja-striyo yad vāñchanti pulindyas tṛṇa-vīrudhaḥ |
gāvaś cārayato gopāḥ pāda-sparśaṁ mahātmanaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.83.41–43; cited in Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.7.43; Prīti Sandarbha: 108; Durgama-saṅgamanī-ṭīkā on Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.59)

“[Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sixteen thousand queens say:] O Sādhvi, [i.e., O Draupadī], neither universal sovereignty [over the earth], nor sovereignty over Svarga, nor the enjoyment [of these forms of sovereignty], nor extensive sovereignty [i.e., attainment of the siddhis of minuteness (aṇimā) and so on], nor the dominion of Brahmā, nor the unlimited [i.e., the unlimited bliss experienced in realization of Brahman], nor even the abode of Hari [i.e., sālokya-, sāmīpya, sārṣṭi, or sārūpya-mukti]—we desire [none of these and instead desire] to bear atop our heads his—the Club-bearer’s [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s]—blessed foot-dust enriched with the fragrance of kuṅkuma from the bosom of Śrī [i.e., Śrī Rādhā], since the ladies of Vraja, the Pulindī women, the grass and creepers [of Vraja], and the cowherds [there] tending the cows [all] long for the touch of the feet of he of most exalted disposition [i.e., they too all long for the touch of Kṛṣṇa’s feet].”

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