Spiritual Code and Restraints

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 42

But there is a more important aspect of our so called needs. Consciously or unconsciously we believe that we would be happy only if our needs are satisfied. But how do we define need? Our parents, for instance, needed fewer things and the forefathers still less than that. Were they unhappy or less happy? To take another illustration, a lay girl at present can afford better clothes than even the Mughal or French queens. Would she however feel more happy than those queens? If we consider this at length, we can make out that it is hard to define need. It varies from time to time, place to place and person to person. Thus, need being rather evasive, how can we effectively define its necessity? And how can we expect to derive happiness without satisfying it? For considering these questions we have to examine the concept of desire, because need and desire go hand in hand.
Desire arises out of the intent to become happy. We feel that we would be happy if our desires are fulfilled. To what extent this feeling is true, we will consider later on. But it has to be pointed out that religion also wants to teach how we can be happy. There is thus no clash of interest between the purpose behind the desire and that of the religion. Both of them address to the same objective of happiness. But in their search for happiness, both reach different and, at times, diametrically opposite conclusions.
In order to examine the relation between desire and happiness, let us take the case of a primitive man who does not have anything with him. The first thing that he would desire is to get food. As and when he gets food to satisfy his appetite, he would feel happy. But would he feel happy, if food is assured to him? Initially he may feel happy. But in all probability, he would then gain the desire of getting a shelter and/or securing protection from wild life and from heat, cold etc. He would feel that he would be very happy, if he can be assured of food, shelter and adequate covering for the body. But even if these basic necessities are taken care of the instinct of desire would not allow him to rest in peace. So, he would start thinking in terms of getting grass to lie upon or any other thing. This happens, because mind always hankers to get something. As earlier desires are satisfied, it goes after new ones. This tendency of desiring more is visible every where. It is weaker in a primitive society where desires are few and far between. As the society advances, that tendency becomes stronger and desires go on increasing.
In the present society, most of the things that we desire can be purchased with money. Let us therefore examine this factor in terms of money. How much money would a person desire to have? If a person can barely make both ends meet, he may desire, for instance, to get $1000 for buying what he thinks necessary. If he gets that much amount, he may feel happy for a while by getting the things that he was looking for. But soon after, he would start thinking that he still needs many other things. For becoming happy, he would therefore desire to get more, say $10000. But if he gets that amount, the resulting happiness will again be short-lived, because desires are unending and he is likely to aspire for higher amount. There is a story of Kapil Muni, who had been to a king for begging two grains of gold. But when the king permitted him to ask for any thing that he liked, his desire did not rest even at a million. In short, desires are insatiable. The more one gets, the more he would aspire. Thus desire to gain happiness by satisfying the desire is virtually a nightmare.