Three types of desires

Sitting in a Vedanta-teaching ashram on the banks of the Ganga in Rishikesh, a devotee as a learned sanyasi, 'Swamiji, if all desires are binding and need to be dropped for liberation, then how can one live? Even a desire for coffee, tea or water, is a desire.'

The sannyasi's answer was based on the Vedantic tradition. He replied: there are three kinds of desires. The first one comes under the category of non-binding desires that may be termed 'preferences'. For example, when a man is asked whether he would like to have tea or coffee and he replies, 'Coffee,' it is a preference. But if coffee is unavailable, he is comfortable with the other option, tea. It does not bother him.

The second category of desire is the one that binds. If the man is stuck on the choice of coffee, and he is disturbed when denied his choice, then it is a binding desire, the kind of desire that chains your mind. The third category is the desire for moksha, liberation, which is a strong desire.


Interestingly, this is neither binding nor non-binding. This strong desire for liberation, which propels an earnest seeker to work hard and yearn to achieve it, cannot be termed 'binding' as it ultimately sets you free. It cannot also be termed non-binding as it binds you to it strongly till finally achieved. Vedanta calls it a golden shackle. It binds till you achieve it. These shackles fall off on their own as one breaks out of jiva bhav, individuality, and spreads one's wings to moksha, freedom and eternal liberation.