So greed is also considered from Vedic view point as a disease of the mind!
But the Vedas say, No no no beyond it all is another disease, this is the biggest problem.
What is that?
Desire!
Desire
is a disease?
What's there in desire?
I desire a raasgulla, I desire to go to Las Vegas what's the problem in desiring?
This desire is the mother of greed and anger.
Anger and greed are it's little children.
When does anger arise?
When we make a desire and it's fulfillment is obstructed that leads to the outburst of
anger.
Supposing you desired to relish ice-cream today.
So you went and got ice-cream from the store, 5Kgs of chocolate chip or whatever is your
favorite ice-cream is and you placed it in the fridge thinking I will walk in the sun
and really build up an appetite, then I will enjoy it.
After an hour you came back and opened the fridge there was no ice-cream.
So the anger has started coming, you ask your spouse, where is the ice-cream?
I had put 5Kgs here, the spouse said, look haven't you seen your medical report, your
cholesterol is high.
The doctor has said reduce fats.
I took the ice-cream and threw it in the garbage.
What you threw the ice-cream!?
Now anger has come, why did anger come?
You had a desire, it's fulfillment was obstructed, that caused anger.
The desire could be of any kind.
I want this kind of bodily comfort, I just want this kind of emotionally comfortable
situation, I want this kind of prestige and status and recognition anything!
and when it is obstructed that is the impetus for anger.
Anger does not come by itself.
Some people are under this confusion, Swamiji everything else is alright, one problem what
is that?
Anger.
Everything else is alright?!
Yea everything else is alright..Impossible!
If anger is there, it's mother desire must definitely be there.
Without desire there can be no anger.
Now supposing you make a desire and it is fulfilled.
You returned to find the ice-cream is still there.
You took it out, placed it on the plate brought the big spoon and took one gulp, liked it?
Oh really enjoyed it Swamiji after the hot Texan sun.
Then?
I want another one, now I want another one, now?
I want another one.
Alright you had 20 spoons of ice-cream, now what?
Are you satisfied?
Today I'm satisfied but after three days I want more 5Kgs of ice-cream."quoting scriptures"
The moment desire is fulfilled, it goes away and then it comes back with redoubled intensity,
that is greed.
Enhanced desire is greed.
So this desire is such an affliction that fulfilling it does not solve any problem.
It only inflames it.
"quoting scriptures" The Bhagwatam says, supposing a fire is burning and you wish to doge the
fire by poring ghee on it, for a moment it will get extinguished only to blaze up even
more later on, that is the nature of desire.
The person who doesn't have wealth thinks if only I could chase the great american dream
to become a millionaire I will be happy.
Alright you worked hard and by the age of 40 years you got a million, desired satisfied?
Happy?
Impossible, now I want 1 billion so I can have my private plane etc..Ok so do you think
the billionaires desires are finished?
They are 100 times your desires.
There's one Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, I have to bring them down and go ahead.
This desire, the more you fulfill the more it increase.
The scripture says what is big in this world?
A mountain?
What's bigger than a mountain?
The ocean, bigger than that?
The earth, bigger than that, the sky, bigger than the sky?
Everything is situated in the sky, what can be bigger.
The Vedas say, that look this desire is bigger than the whole universe, because if one man
was to get everything, the desire would still not be satiated it would go beyond this is
not enough, I want more.
Such is desire.
So fulfillment of desire leads to greed and obstruction of desire leads to anger., and
when anger comes, the Bhagwat Gita's philosophy "quoting Bhagwat Gita" From anger comes
delusion from delusion come bewilderment of memory, from loss of memory comes ruin of
the intellect and when the intellect the discrimination is lost the soul suffers a downfall.
All these came from desire.
If we make a desire, there can only be two consequences either it will be fulfilled or
not fulfilled.
On fulfillment it will lead to greed on unfulfillment it will lead to anger.
We will be ground between these two wheels of anger and greed.
And supposing we don't desire?
Just give up desire, you cannot get angry and you cannot get tormented by greed everything
else will vanish.
By cutting the root, and the root is desire.
That is why Shri Krishna says in the Gita, how do you get peace?
People want peace, what is the peace formula?
Shri Krishna says, "quoting Bhagawat Gita" He says, give up desire, give up pride and
you will get Shanti.
The Kath Upanishad says, if you can give up desire you will become like God!
"quoting Kath Upanishad" What to speak of any other perfection, you will become God
like.
What is the nature of God?
He is free from all selfish desires.
If you could become desire-less you would become God-like.
"quoting scriptures" The Bagwatam says, the Mahabharata says, that person who has given
up desires is like God.
That is why even in Buddhism, the Buddha, he stated 4 golden truths, the essence of
his philosophy.
The 1st truth is, there is suffering in the world.
The 2nd truth is, this suffering has a cause.
The 3rd truth is, the cause of suffering is desire and the 4th truth is, if desire is
extinguished suffering is extinguished.
So we have now come to the root of anger, greed and everything else which is desire.
Let is proceed, further.
What is the cause of desire?