27 August 2026
Thursday
The first step in spiritual training is to curb the Ichha shakti (power of desires), which prompts the senses to pursue objects. If the ichha (wish) is for God it is good; if for objective pleasure, it harms the individual. If a house is set on fire, it is incendiarism; if Hanuman sets fire to Lanka it is justifiable retribution and a good lesson. If a dacoit cuts off your hand, it is violence. If the doctor amputates it, he saves your life and so it is ahimsa (nonviolence). Visaya vasana (attachment to sense objects) makes an act low, while Bhagavat vasana (attachment to God) makes an act sacrosanct. The Yajna (ritual sacrifice) performed by Daksha was converted into a battle, because Parameshwara was not present; the Kuruksetra battle was transformed into a Yajna, because Parameshwara (in the form of Krishna) was present there. Arjuna dedicated himself at the Lord’s Feet; Daksha scorned the Lord. That was the difference, and that is the explanation. It all lies in the bhava (the motive), the inspiration behind the act and the word.
From Swami’s discourse of 6 December 1963
The first step in spiritual training is to curb the Ichha shakti (power of desires), which prompts the senses to pursue objects. If the ichha (wish) is for God it is good; if for objective pleasure, it harms the individual. If a house is set on fire, it is incendiarism; if Hanuman sets fire to Lanka it is justifiable retribution and a good lesson. If a dacoit cuts off your hand, it is violence. If the doctor amputates it, he saves your life and so it is ahimsa (nonviolence). Visaya vasana (attachment to sense objects) makes an act low, while Bhagavat vasana (attachment to God) makes an act sacrosanct. The Yajna (ritual sacrifice) performed by Daksha was converted into a battle, because Parameshwara was not present; the Kuruksetra battle was transformed into a Yajna, because Parameshwara (in the form of Krishna) was present there. Arjuna dedicated himself at the Lord’s Feet; Daksha scorned the Lord. That was the difference, and that is the explanation. It all lies in the bhava (the motive), the inspiration behind the act and the word.