A Profound Discourse on Inner Transformation Inspired by the Bhagavad Gita and Swami Mukundananda
Introduction: The Unseen Enemy Within
We live in an age of information where the difference between right and wrong is often understood but seldom acted upon. Most of us know that hurting others, harboring hatred, indulging in selfishness, or chasing endless material desires are detrimental, not just ethically but emotionally and spiritually. And yet, despite this awareness, we falter.
We fall into patterns of deceit, anger, greed, and harmful behavior—not because we want to, but because something deeper within us seems to overpower our intellect. This inner conflict is the very dilemma posed by Arjun in the Bhagavad Gita. Through the divine discourse between Arjun and Shree Krishna, beautifully elaborated by Swami Mukundananda, we are gifted a roadmap to rise above these tendencies.
Let us journey through this conversation and uncover how spiritual realization can help us overcome anger, greed, and desire—transforming our lives from restlessness to divine peace.
1. The Human Dilemma: Knowing Right Yet Doing Wrong
There is a strange contradiction in the human condition. We understand what is wrong—cheating, hurting others, harboring hatred or selfishness—and yet, despite this understanding, we are repeatedly drawn toward these very actions. We are conscious that greed leads to restlessness, anger leads to pain, and uncontrolled desires rob us of peace, but somehow we remain powerless before them. This inner conflict—between knowledge and action—is not new. It has echoed through every era of human existence.
This is precisely the dilemma that Arjun, the mighty warrior of the Mahabharat, presents before Shree Krishna. In Chapter 3, Verse 36 of the Bhagavad Gita, Arjun asks:
“Why is a person impelled to commit sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if by force, O descendent of Vrishni (Krishna)”
Sanskrit:
atha kena prayukto ’yaṁ pāpaṁ charati pūruṣhaḥ
anichchhann api vārṣhṇeya balād iva niyojitaḥ
👉 Read Bhagavad Gita 3.36
Swamiji reflects on this question with striking clarity. He notes how all of us, like Arjun, have these sublime ideals. We want to walk the divine path and rise beyond attachments and aversions. But despite our intentions, we often find ourselves waylaid—lost in the fog of desires, anger, and impulses. The question that torments us is: What is this force, this compulsion that overrides our wisdom and drives us toward sin?
2. The Root Cause Revealed: Lust as the Universal Enemy
In response to Arjun’s question, Shree Krishna reveals a truth that cuts straight to the heart of spiritual psychology. He says in Bhagavad Gita 3.37:
“It is lust alone, which is born of contact with the mode of passion, and later transformed into anger. Know this as the sinful, all-devouring enemy in the world.”
Sanskrit:
kāma eṣha krodha eṣha rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ
mahāśhano mahā-pāpmā viddhyenam iha vairiṇam
👉 Read Bhagavad Gita 3.37
Swamiji explains that when Shree Krishna uses the term “lust” (Kāma), he is not merely referring to sexual desire. Lust here is the umbrella term for any and all material desires—desires to enjoy objects of the senses, to accumulate wealth, to experience luxury, to control others, and to gain prestige. It includes the desire for delicious food, beautiful sights, comforting sounds, and pleasant aromas. Shree Krishna teaches us that this lust arises from Rajo Guna, the mode of passion, and eventually morphs into anger when desires are thwarted or into greed when desires are fulfilled and multiplied.
But here lies a deeper spiritual truth: Lust is not some alien invader—it is a distorted reflection of our innate Divine Love. In its original state, the soul is overflowing with pure, causeless, and selfless love for God. When this Divine Love comes in contact with the material energy, it gets colored by the modes of nature and becomes selfish desire. Swamiji beautifully articulates this by saying: “Love in its truest form is to give; lust is to take.” True love desires the happiness of the beloved. Lust desires the enjoyment of the self. The desire to enjoy the material world, then, is nothing but the soul forgetting its original nature and misdirecting its divine inclination.
3. The Soul’s Constitutional Role: Servant, Not Enjoyer
To truly understand how to overcome desire, we must understand who we are. Swamiji emphasizes that our constitutional position—the essential truth of our existence—is that we are eternal servants of God. This servitude is not a position of inferiority, but one of divine joy and spiritual fulfillment. The soul's nature is to love and serve. In loving God and serving His will, the soul finds its purpose and peace.
“Everything—both living and non-living—is serving God.”
Swamiji explains that even insentient matter, even Maya itself, serves the will of God. In the Vedic tradition, there is no duality of God versus Devil. There is only God and His energies. Maya, the illusion-producing force of the world, is not an enemy. She too is a servant of God. Her role is different—where saints lovingly guide us toward God through wisdom, Maya pushes us toward Him through hardship.
Often, Swamiji says, people ignore saints and spiritual teachings. They scoff at the Gita. They mock the existence of God, calling Him a myth invented by primitive tribes to control people. They say things like, “God is the opiate of the masses,” quoting Freud and modern skepticism. But then life unfolds in ways they cannot control. There is a health crisis, a financial loss, and a broken relationship. Suddenly, the same mind that dismissed divinity begins to ask: “Maybe that Swamiji was right. Maybe there is something more.”
In this way, even Maya serves a sacred function. She wakes us up. She ensures we don’t find lasting happiness in the material world, no matter how much we try. Every pleasure ends in dissatisfaction. Every success ends in longing. Every fulfilled desire gives rise to another. This is not a design flaw—it is an invitation to turn inward.
4. The Real Enemy Within: Desire Leads to Greed and Anger
The progression of desire is predictable. Shree Krishna explains it step-by-step. In Bhagavad Gita 3.39, He says:
“The knowledge of even the most discerning gets covered by this perpetual enemy in the form of insatiable desire, which is never satisfied and burns like fire, O son of Kunti.”
Sanskrit:
āvṛitaṁ jñānam etena jñānino nitya-vairiṇā
kāma-rūpeṇa kaunteya duṣhpūreṇānalena cha
👉 Read Bhagavad Gita 3.39
Swamiji draws attention to a crucial insight: The nature of desire is that it is never satisfied. People think, “If only I could fulfill this one desire, I would be content.” But once fulfilled, it gives rise to more. This is the nature of greed. And if the desire is obstructed, we become angry. Thus, greed and anger are merely extensions of desire. They are not separate issues; they are phases in the same cycle of bondage.
And this cycle is fueled by the three modes of material nature—Sattva (goodness), Rajas (passion), and Tamas (ignorance). Of these, Rajo Guna inflames the fire of desire. It keeps us running, striving, restless. Swamiji warns that until this fundamental impulse to enjoy the material world is corrected, peace will remain elusive.
Shree Krishna uses three metaphors in Verse 3.38 to describe how desire obscures the soul’s wisdom:
“Just as a fire is covered by smoke, a mirror is masked by dust, and an embryo is concealed by the womb, similarly one’s knowledge gets shrouded by desire.”
Sanskrit:
dhūmenāvriyate vahnir yathādarśho malena cha
yatholbenāvṛito garbhas tathā tenedam āvṛitam
👉 Read Bhagavad Gita 3.38
Swamiji explains that sometimes the obstruction is light (like smoke on fire), and sometimes it's dense (like a fetus in a womb). Regardless of the degree, the truth remains veiled until the soul turns inward.
5. The Path to Freedom: From Misidentification to Surrender
The path out of this trap is not suppression, nor is it indulgence. It is transcendence through spiritual realization. Shree Krishna presents the inner hierarchy of control in Bhagavad Gita 3.42:
“The senses are superior to the gross body, and superior to the senses is the mind. Beyond the mind is the intellect, and even beyond the intellect is the soul.”
Sanskrit:
indriyāṇi parāṇyāhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ
manasas tu parā buddhir yo buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ
👉 Read Bhagavad Gita 3.42
Swamiji explains that we must activate our soul-consciousness. The body is driven by senses, the senses by desires, but the soul can rise above all of it. The more we identify with the eternal Self rather than the fleeting ego, the more we gain mastery over emotions, temptations, and fears.
He shares a humorous story of a seeker who approached a Zen master and requested initiation, not as a disciple, but as a master. It reflects our collective delusion—we all want to be the enjoyer, not the servant. But Swamiji reminds us: If every soul tried to be God, the world would fall apart. Harmony is possible only when we align with the Supreme Enjoyer and participate in His joy, as His servant.
Surrender is not weakness; it is the ultimate strength. Only when we surrender does Maya, the illusory energy, release us. Intellectual arguments, declarations like “Maya is mithya (illusion),” are not enough. The transformation happens only when we reconnect with God in devotion and surrender.
Conclusion: From Confusion to Realization
Swamiji’s discourse, rooted in Shree Krishna’s wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita, offers more than philosophical understanding—it offers a roadmap for liberation. The real enemy is not out there—it is within: the impulse to enjoy, born of a mistaken identity. As long as we see ourselves as enjoyers of material nature, we remain trapped in the endless cycle of desire, greed, and anger.
But there is a way out.
That path begins with spiritual realization—understanding who we truly are. We are not this body. We are not these thoughts or emotions. We are eternal souls, born not to hoard but to serve, not to consume but to give, not to dominate but to love. When this realization dawns, the soul is freed. Freed not just from anger, greed, and desire, but from all suffering born of illusion.
📣 Call to Action: Begin Your Journey Today
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🔗 Read Bhagavad Gita Online
Let these divine teachings transform your mind, anchor your heart, and guide your soul.
“Let Divine Love replace Lust. Let Selfless Service dissolve Greed. Let Surrender quench Anger. And let your Soul remember its true Master.”
Jai Shri Krishna. Hari Om Tat Sat
