shrImadAnandatIrthArya mukhanissR^itaM
kAmA yesya hR^idi shritAH .
ityantaHkaraNasthAnAM kAmAnAM moxameva hi …
Aha shrutirhR^idItyeva na cetdvyarthaM visheShaNam ..A.V 3.4.4
It has been previously stated that even the liberated have desires. But the shruti passage
“yadA sarve pramucyante kAmA ye.asya hR^idi shritAH atha martyo amR^ito bhavatyatra brahma samashnute”
When all desires cease to exist a saMsAri becomes liberated and reaches brahma
This passage clearly speaks about the absence of desires in liberation. How, then, can we say that the liberated also have desires?
To this we reply. There are two types of desires
1. Desires existing in the antaH karaNa or mind
2. Desires existing in the soul’s own nature
When a person gets liberated, all the desires of his mind cease to exist. But the desires of the soul continue to exist. The liberated enjoys all kinds of bhogas through such desires in the liberated state. He desires to see his father in his last birth etc. All such desires are duly fulfilled. As shrI nArAyana paNDitAchArya quotes in Sumadhva Vijaya
‘saMkalpamAtrAt sakalo.api sa syAt’ - The liberated gets anything he desires just by the thought of it.
By this it is clear that the liberated does have desires and the quoted shruti passage only talks about the absence of desires of the mind.
But, how do we come to know that this is the real intent of the shruti?
The use of the words ‘hR^idi shritAH - dwelling in the mind’, tell us that the shruti is talking about the absence of the desires dwelling in the mind. When a person gets liberated his anthaH karaNa (mind) does not exist. As the mind itself is not present, there is no question of desires of the mind. This is the intention of the shruti passage. Therefore, it is not correct to say that the shruti passage is talking about the absence of desires in the soul’s nature itself. If that were to be the intention of the shruti passage, it would suffice to say “yadA sarve kAmA pramucyante” – when all his desires cease to exist. Then there was no need to use the words “hR^idhi sthitAH“. By using these two words the shruti explicitly says that only the desires of the mind and not all desires cease to exist in the state of liberation.
So, we should agree that the shruti is only talking about the absence of desires of the mind. Therefore it is incorrect to say that the liberated do not have any desires.
