Question: Part 1: What is the correlation between desires and thoughts? How are one’s desires manifest into thoughts?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
Thinking, feeling, and then willing are the sequential steps that lead connect thoughts to desires, and these are manifested as activities of the mind. In its pure state, thinking, feeling and willing are all centered on Krishna and His service. In the conditioned state, the mind is almost always thinking about objects of the senses. The conditioned mind is described as having a binary function – accepting and rejecting. Based on our likes and dislikes, we are always accepting some thoughts related to corresponding sense objects whiGhagavadch we consider desirable and rejecting others as undesirable.
Bhagavad-Gita (2.62–63) describes that by contemplating sense objects, attachment and desires develop; when the wilful attempts to fulfill those desires are hampered, it further leads to anger, bewilderment of memory, loss of intelligence etc. In turn, our thoughts reflect a composite of our most prominent desires and activities. The mind is the root cause of all of these phenomena.
Part 2: Also, do we have control over our desires and thoughts?
Answer by Romapada Swami :
We can have control over desires and thoughts, however it is also possible that our desires control us! Krishna explains that intelligence is superior to the mind, intelligence is superior to the mind, and the soul is even higher. One can thus steady the mind’s functions with the help of spiritually strengthened intelligence. (See BG 3.42–43) The whole yoga process – whether it is bhakti-yoga, dhyana-yoga or jnana-yoga – is aimed at controlling the mind. Throughout the Gita, Krishna often addresses this: Bg 2.58-64, 70, 6.5-6, 6.24-26, 8.6-8, 17.16 to name a few.
With practice, the mind can be trained to think only of beneficial thoughts and even better, Krishna-centered thoughts. The sublime and most effective process recommended in this age for training the mind is chanting of the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Similarly by developing, in good association, attachment for Krishna and things related to Him effects detachment from lower desires.
