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A Process Model of Desire

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Book cover Spirituality and Indian Psychology

Part of the book series: International and Cultural Psychology ((ICUP))

Abstract

Psychologists have argued about the primacy of cognition and emotion for decades without any resolution. Deriving ideas from the bhagavadgItA, in this chapter, cognition, emotion, and behavior are examined by anchoring them in desire. The model presented here posits that cognition, emotion, and behavior derive significance when examined in the context of human desires, and starting with perception and volition, cognition emerges when a desire crystallizes. Desires lead to behaviors, and the achievement or nonachievement of a desire causes positive or negative emotions. Through self-reflection, contemplation, and the practice of karmayoga desires can be better managed, which can help facilitate healthy management of emotions. It is hoped that insights provided by this model would stimulate research for further examination of the role of desire in understanding and predicting cognition, emotion, and behavior.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Verse 2.62: dhyAyato viSayAnpuMsaH saGgsteSupajAyate; saGgAtsaJjAyate kAmaH kAm­Atkro­dho’bhijAyate.

  2. 2.

    Verse 3.39: AvRtaM jnAnametena jnAnino nityavairiNA; kAmarUpeNa kaunteya duSpUreNAnalena ca.

  3. 3.

    Verse 3.41: tasmAttvamindRyANyAdau niyamya bharatrSabha; pApmAnaM prajahi hyenaM jnAnavijnAnanAzanam.

  4. 4.

    Verse 3.40: indriyaNi mano buddhirasyAdhiSThAnamucyate; etairvimohayatyeSa jnAnmAvRtya dehinam.

  5. 5.

    Often the environment or ecology in which we operate is referred to as the material world in the Indian worldview to separate the material from the spiritual and to separate the mundane or ever changing from the sublime or intransient. Thus, I refer to the ecology or environment as the material world in the model to capture and to remain faithful to the indigenous spirit and worldview and also to provide an indigenous flavor.

  6. 6.

    Verse 5.22: ye hi saMsparzajA bhogA duHkhayonaya eva te; AadyantavantaH kaunteya na teSu ramate budhaH.

  7. 7.

    Verse 14.9: satvaM sukhe saJjAyati rajaH karmaNi bhArat; JnAnamAvRtya tu tamaH pramAde saJjayatyuta. The mode of goodness leads to happiness, the mode of passion to work, and the mode of ignorance to negligence (or to intoxication and madness in extreme cases). Verse 14.12: LlbhaH pravrittirArambhaH karmaNAmazamaH sprihA; rajasyetAni jAyante vivriddhe bharatarSabha. O arjuna, when the mode of passion controls us, there is a growth of desire to start activities; we do activities primarily with self-interest in mind; and we become greedy. Verse 14.15: rajasi pralayaM gatvA karmasaGgiSu jAyate; tathA pralInastamasi mUdhayoniSu jAyate. When the mode of passion takes precedence, then after death we are born as human beings who are attached to the material world and activities; whereas when the mode of ignorance takes precedence, then after death we are born as animals and insects. Verse 14.16: karmaNaH sukRtasyAhuH sAtvikaM nirmalaM phalam; rajasastu phalam duHkhamajnAnaM tamasaH phalam. Work done in the mode of goodness brings happiness, knowledge, and detachment, whereas the mode of passion brings misery and the mode of ignorance brings confusion. Verse 14.17: satvAtsaJjAyate jnAnam rajaso lobha eva ca; pramAdmohau tamaso bhavato’jnAnameva ca. From the mode of goodness comes knowledge, whereas from the mode of passion comes greed and from the mode of ignorance comes negligence, confusion, and illusion.

  8. 8.

    In the bhAgavatam (9.19.14) it is stated that desires are never satisfied by their fulfillment; instead they grow just like fire grows when ghee is offered to it (na jAtu kAmaH kAmAnAmupabhogena zAmyati; haviSA kRSNavartmeva bhUya evAbhivardhate). This is explicated in the story of YayAti (the son of NahuSa) who borrows the youth of his son PururavA, and his desires still remained unsatiated.

  9. 9.

    Verse 12.12: zreyo hi jnAnamabhyAsAjjnAnAddhyAnaM viziSyate; dhyAnAtkarmaphalatyAgastyAgacchAntiranantaram.

  10. 10.

    Verse 4.20: tyaktvA karmaphalAsaGgaM nityatripto nirAzrayaH; karmaNyabhipravRtto’pi naiva kiJcitkaroti saH. Verse 3.37: kAma eSa krodha eSa rajoguNasamudbhavaH; mahAzano mahApApmA viddhyenamiha vairiNam. Verse 3.43: evaM buddheH paraM buddhva saMstabhyAtmAnamAtmanA; jahi zatruM mahAbAho kAmarUpaM durAsadam. Verse 2.71: vihAya kAmAnyaH sarvAnpumAMzcarati niHsprihaH; nirmamo nirahaGkAraH sa zAntimadhigacchati. Verse 5.23: zaknotIhaiva yaH sodhuM prAkzarIravimokSaNAt; kAmakrodhodbhavaM vegaM sa yuktaH sa sukhI naraH. Verse 4.19: yasya sarve samArambhAH kAmasaGkalpavarjitAH; jnAnAgnidagdhakarmANaM tamAhuH panditaM budhAH.

  11. 11.

    Aphorism 2.7: sukhAnuzAyI rAgaH; Aphorism 2.8: duHkhAnuzAyI dveZaH.

  12. 12.

    Aphorism 2.15: pariNamatApa-saMskAraduHkhairaguNavRttivirodhAcca duHkhameva sarvaM vivekinaH.

  13. 13.

    Aphorism 1.12: abhyAsavairAgyAbhyAM tannirodhaH. The five types of vRttis discussed in aphorisms 1.5 to 1.11 are controlled by cultivating a regimen of practice and nonattachment.

  14. 14.

    Aphorism 1.15: dRStAnuzravikaviSayavitRSNasya vashIkArsaJjnA vairAgyam. vairagya is the taming of the self by not hankering after the objects that we sample from the material world through our senses, e.g., our eyes and ears.

  15. 15.

    Aphorism 1.16: tatparam puruSakhyAterguNavaitRSNyam. vairAgya entails the rejection of all material entities through the knowledge of the atman, or the true self.

  16. 16.

    yogavAsiSTha verse 30.5: yat idaM dRzyate kiMcit tat nAsti nRpa kiMcana; marusthale yathA vAri khe vA gandharvapattnam. Oh, King! Whatever is seen here is nothing but a mirage or optical illusion that appears to be water in the desert, or the fantasy of city of angels in the sky.

  17. 17.

    yogavAsiSTha verse 30.6: manaHSaSThendriyAtItaM yattu no drizyate kvacit; avinAzaM tadastIha tat sat Atmeti kathyate. That reality, which cannot be comprehended by the five senses and the mind, or can be seen anywhere, is called the Atman, and that is the truth or reality.

  18. 18.

    It is interesting to note that the universe is referred to as “sargaparamparA.” Sarga literally means the creation, and parampara means tradition. The compound word sargaparamparA means a world that has been passed on from generation to generation as tradition, and could mean an evolving world, without using the word in the Darwinian sense of evolution.

  19. 19.

    yogavAsiSTha verse 19.49: saGgaH kAraNamarthAnAm saGgaH sansArakAraNaM; saGgaH kAraNamAzAnAM saGgaH kAraNamApadAm.

  20. 20.

    yogavAsiSTha verses 19.52 and 53: kathyate saGgaHzabden vAsana bhavakArinI; saMpadi vipadicAtmA yadi te lakSyate samaH. duHkhaih na glAnimAyAsi yadi hRzyasi no sukhaiH; yathAprAptAnuvartI ca tadA’sangosi rAghava.

  21. 21.

    yogavAsiSTha verse 31.56–58: astyatyantamadonmattA kariNIcchAsamAhvayA; sA chet na hanyate nUnaM anantAnarthakAriNI. (31.56). bhUmikAsu ca sarvAsu saJcAro naiva sAdhyate; vAsanehA manaH cittaM saGkalpo bhAvanaM spRhA. (31.57). ityAdIni ca nAmAni tasyA eva bhavanti hi; dhairyanAmnA varAstrena caitAM sarvAtmanA jayet. (31.58). In verses 30.38 and 39 it is stated that when desire is destroyed one realizes the ultimate reality that the self or atman is the same as brahman. yavat viSayabhogAzA jIvAkhyA tAvat AtmanaH; avivekena saMpannA sA’pyAzA hi na vastutaH (30.38). vivekavazato yAtA kSayaM AzA yadA tadA; AtmA jIvatvam utsrijya brahmatAm etyanAmayah (30.39).

  22. 22.

    yogavAsiSTha verse 30.32: baddhavAsanaM artho yaH sevyate sukhayatyasau; yat sukhAya tadevazu vastu duHkhAya nazataH.

  23. 23.

    yogavAsiSTha verse 30.17: idaM ramyaM idaM neti bIjaM tat duHkhasantateH; tasmin sAmyAgninA dagdhe duHkhasyAvasarH kutaH.

  24. 24.

    yogavAsiSTha verse 31.63: bahunA’tra kiM uktena saMkSepAt idaM ucyate; saMkalpanaM paro bandhah tadbhAvo vimuktatA.

  25. 25.

    yogavAsiSTha verse 30.42: prakRtiH bhAvanAnAmnI mokdhaH syAt eSa eva aH; yena kenacit Acchanno yena kenacit AzitaH.

  26. 26.

    yogavAsiSTha verse 30.43: yatra kvacana zAyI ca sa samrAdiva rAjate; varNadharmAzramAcArazastrayantraNayojjhitaH.

  27. 27.

    yogavAsiSTha verse 30.44: gambhIrazca prasannazca ramate svAtmanA”tmani; sarvakarmaphalatyAgI nityatripto nirAzrayaH.

  28. 28.

    yogavAsiSTha verse 30.46: tajjnaH karmaphalenAntaH tathA nAyAti raJjanam. niHstotro nirvikArazca pUjyapUjAvivarjitaH.

  29. 29.

    yogavAsiSTha verse 30.47: saMyuktazca viyuktazca sarvAcArnayakramaiH; tasmAt nodvijate loko lokat nodvijate ca saH. tanuM tyajatu vA tIrthe zvapacasya grihe’pi vA.

  30. 30.

    yogavAsiSTha verse 30.45: na punyena na pApena netareNa ca lipyate; sphatikaH pratibimbena na yAti raJjanaM yathA.

  31. 31.

    yogavAsiSTha verse 49: sa pUjaniyaH sa stutyo namaskAryaH sa yatnataH; sa nirIkSyo’bhivAdyazca vibhUtivibhavaiSiNA. The qualities of a jIvanmuktaH are also captured in many other places in the yogavAsiSTha (see for example verses 19.50, 19.51, 30.30, 30.31, 30.33, 31.4, 31.22 and 31.25).

  32. 32.

    vivekacudAmaNi verse 154: deho’yamannabhavano’nnamayastu kozazcAnnena jIvati vinazyati tadvihInaH; tvakcarmamAMsarudhirAsthipurISarAzirnAyaM svayaM bhavitumarhati nityazuddhaH. “This body is a building of food, is constituted of food material, sustains on food, and dies without it. It is constituted of skin, flesh, blood, skeleton or bones, and feces. Therefore, it cannot be the atman, which is eternally pure and self-existent.”

  33. 33.

    vivekacudAmaNi verse 293: SarvAtmanA dRzyamidaM mRSaiva naivAhamarthaH kSaNikatvadarzant; janAmyahaM sarvamiti pratItiH kuto’hamAdeH kSaNikasya sidhyet. Whatever is seen here is unreal, and so is the ego that is momentary. “I know everything” is a perception that cannot be true because our existence is momentary. In verse 272, the world is referred to as a prison – saMsArkArAgRhamokSamicchorayomayam pAdanibandhazRnkhalaM; vadanti tajjnAH patu vAsanAtryaM yo’smAdvimuktaH samupaiti muktim. The wise consider the three desires (related to the body, the world, and the scriptures) as iron fetters that keep those who aspire for liberation tied in the prison of the world. One who is free of these desires finds liberation.

  34. 34.

    Aphorism 2.17: draSTRdRzyayoH saMyogo heyahetuH. In aphorism 2.11 (dhyAnaheyastadvRttayaH), meditation is stated as the tool to cleanse the desires.

  35. 35.

    For this research to make the front page of The Financial Times is quite significant in itself. The article is based on the work of Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstrin, which was quoted by James Montier, DrKW global equity strategist.

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  1. Shidler College of Business, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2404 Maile Way, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822, USA

    Dharm P. S. Bhawuk

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Bhawuk, D.P.S. (2011). A Process Model of Desire. In: Spirituality and Indian Psychology. International and Cultural Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8110-3_6

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