Our Worst Enemy

Let’s jump right into it. 

Our enemies are not outside of us. They dwell within us and we must get victory over them. Who are they? 

But, first let me ask you this: who’s an enemy? And who’s not? How would you decide? In my opinion, that which helps us grow is a friend; that which harms us in some way is an enemy. I am keeping it simple. We generally live in this world as if it’s a terrible battleground, and our adversaries are none other than other people like us who have their own interests and intentions; so, conflict is inevitable. While the world is undoubtedly a battlefield, it’s not the real war we must fight. The outside war is just a manifestation of our inner wars—which we rarely understand. 

The outside universe is just a ‘space of events’ to which we constantly respond in various ways. We have absolutely no control over this space. We can only choose to respond wisely—that’s it. But our foolishness is that we keep fighting with this ethereal space for our entire life, hoping to make everything right for us. But, that’s as futile as fighting with water! The sheer stupidity of us. 

We must go to the source of these wars. Where do they spring from? 

Without taking you round and round, I’ll take you there right away. All of our struggles, all of our sufferings (except physical and environmental ones) spring from only one place—the complex chamber of desires!

Desires take many forms. They are like Asuras who can shape-shift according to the purpose they are fueled with. Our aspirations, dreams, longings, cravings, needs and wants, urges and tendencies—all of them germinate from some form of latent desire. And what’s the total movement of life but a continuous flow of desires? Desire is the very basis of life—it’s the momentum behind life. And our actions (karma) are the result of our endless desires and our efforts to fulfill them. 

It’s not without reason that Buddha denounced desires saying they are the root cause of our endless cycles of suffering. But, at the same time, the confounding paradox of life is that we cannot live without desires! Even to talk is a desire; to go somewhere, to want to express oneself, and even to think is a desire. We are caught in this paradox. It seems impossible to resolve this. But, not actually. Here lies the wiseness—to see the truth of desires as they are, which is: desires are not the problem per se, only their direction is! 

For most of us, our desires are not in our control. We get carried away by them! We very often fail to direct our desires. That’s the reality. And that’s how they turn into our biggest enemy. Regulating this tremendous flow of desires and directing it is a mighty task. And that’s what Arjuna said to Krishna. To paraphrase it, he said: I can control the wind, but I can’t control my mind. It’s beyond me. 

That was an honest confession. This is our plight too. We are too weak before our minds. But, neither it is impossible—never was—and nor ever will be. What is required is the right understanding of the nature of desires. This understanding alone can liberate you from the spell of desires. But, understanding doesn’t come easily. It takes enormous energy and intelligence to understand it. But, there’s no reason to worry. Shri Krishna has shown us the way. With abhyas (spiritual practice) and vairagya (dispassion) we can achieve this. 

It’s the unrestrained mind alone that causes our downfall. Take Ravana for example. He is the perfect example of this. He had enormous power, knowledge, and courage to even challenge his destiny, but he had one great flaw—he had an unrestrained mind. That destroyed not only him but his whole kingdom and vamsh too. Had he conquered his mind, he might have been hailed with the same glory as that of Lord Indra himself, or perhaps he would exceed him. 

Anyway, we have this great example before us. And that’s precisely why desires—if unrestrained—are our greatest enemy. Take the example of Buddha on the other hand. He completely conquered his desires—they completely ceased for him, i.e, he became free from the spell, forever. All of the heavens hailed him, showered flowers upon him and he became the most glorious being there is. This is true with any completely realized being, however. But, that’s the thing, you see. 

There’s no reason why we can’t achieve that state. All of us have the potential, only not unleashed.

Whether bondage or liberation—

Desires decide our destiny.

***

Some other foods for your thought:

1. Mother Kaikayi’s Devotion.

2. Enemy Of House: Vibhishan’s Case Study.

3. Lessons From Mahabharata: A Lesson in Faith.

Feature Image Credit: Adobe Stock. Edited by Me.