As the world is ushering into a modern era, like the skyscrapers leaping towards the sky, our aspirations and ambitions also soar high. It is natural that we nourish various desires like desire to hold positions of power, desire to acquire and possess properties, desire to enjoy and remain happy and desire to build up a prosperous life for the family. But desire, beyond a certain accepted level of degree would detract one from his higher aims and invite many unintended sorrows.

Now, this will lead to another question: ‘How to define the ‘accepted level of degree’ or where to draw the line’? A desire which springs forth naturally to lead a normal life is acceptable but a desire that tends to multiply itself and becomes too intimate, personal and passionate is not acceptable or advisable.

Chances are most of the desires one cultivates may not be fulfilled. When one desire already remains unfulfilled, another desire crops up which too add up to the list of unfulfilled desires. All such accumulated unfulfilled desires, nursed and nourished deep within the mind, tend to become Vasanaas.

Vasanas can be defined as the individual’s inclination for sensual gratification or attachment to a certain object or person which gets accumulated and because of their unfulfilled nature gets carried over even to the next birth. A person, occupying high office of power and performing his duties satisfactorily is in natural state but when he identifies himself with the position of power, it becomes his Vasanna. An individual may love someone but when it turns into attachment, it becomes Vasanaa. A person having an urge for bodily or sense gratification should curb it, lest it becomes lust and turns into Vasanaa.

When rooting out desire from the mind is the essential condition to reach and realize God, what an irony that there are people who pray to God for fulfillment of such desires! When God wills that we should discard all desires before reaching Him, we ask his favour to fulfill our desires first before reaching Him.

It is the mind that creates desires which lead to Vasanaas. The mind always turns outward, attaches itself towards the world outside and seeks something from it. It goes after all pleasure giving objects and never rests. The Vasanaas distort the vision of the seeker and hinder his spiritual growth. The soul, when it departs from the body, carries with it the irrepressible Vasanaas too, till it manifests into another body. Thus, Vasanaas carried over from the previous birth exercise their influence even in the next birth. Even though a seeker has matured to the level of self realization, he is not able to liberate himself because of Vasanaas. He takes another birth to fulfill the unaccomplished Vasanaas and yet another, leading to what Adi Sankara has said: “Punarabhi Jananam Punarabhi Maranam…..” This explains why even enlightened sages who have reached the pinnacle of glory have fallen from grace. It is certainly not their fault. They did make sincere, serious and earnest efforts at realization but they failed at the end because the Vasanaas they carried from their previous birth stood as obstacles in their path. According to Ramana Maharshi, unless the existing Vasanaas are eliminated and new Vasanaas are curbed, self realization is not possible. Instead of cherishing any Vasanaa in the mind, It is advisable to curb it or erase it altogether from the mind.

How to curb the Vasanaas or root them out before rising? According to Bhagawan, the Self alone is supreme and if the Self is realized, Vasanaas which express through the body and mind disappear. The Self realization is possible by means of Jnana and meditation. If the self is realized, the mind rests in the heart, become Satwic and does not generate any Vasanaas.

While the individual inherits the Vasanaas, which relates to mind, he also carries another burden, Karma, which relates to his body and which is the consequence arising out of his action. The word Karma denotes action. According to physics, when a force is exerted it is balanced by an equal and opposite reaction. Similarly, in the spiritual arena also, a person who does a particular act is called upon to face the result of it in accordance with the nature of the act. Karma is an impersonal effect which balances every act of the individual. It is not a kind of punishment or reward as is generally believed. It is a natural phenomenon that every one faces depending upon his action (Karma). Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says: “The self identified with mind generates desires. What the mind desires, it resolves upon; what it resolves upon it performs and what it performs it attains.” It faces the consequences of its performance in a future birth. The Karmas, the result or reaction to the past actions, decisively play on the destiny of the individual. When Alagammal, the mother of Ramana Maharshi came to Tiruvannamalai requesting her son to come back, Maharshi wrote in a piece of paper thus: “The Ordainer controls the fate of souls in accordance with their Prarabda Karma. Whatever is destined not to happen will not happen, try as you may. Whatever is destined to happen will happen, do what you may to prevent it. This is certain. The best course therefore is to remain silent.”

In reply to a question by a devotee, Maharshi said that even if one has detached himself from worldly desires and acquired Jnana, the result of his earlier Karmas would continue to haunt him and he should gradually elevate himself by following the path of perfection.

Similarly, pre disposition to certain knowledge and virtues which are carried over from previous birth is called Samskara. One possessing the Samskara qualities would brighten up when an opportunity unfolds. He would recognize a truth instantly whenever he hears it or reads it or he would tend to seek the direction of truth only. Bhagawan said that when such a person meets the right Guru, the Samskara in him manifests to full glory.

Note:(Extract from my forthcoming book: "Thoughts on Ramana")