These are all a misery from beginning to end. We have lost control over these vrittis
totally; we are under their control entirely, and they drive us in any direction
whatsoever. That is why we have whims and fancies, moods and desires of various
types, changing almost every day. The winds of desire may blow in any direction
according to the strength of the desire concerned. The stronger desires are supposed
to manifest themselves earlier, and the weaker ones a little later. If our actions are
very powerful—whether good or bad—they may bear fruit in this life itself; but if they
are not so powerful, if they are milder, they will take action in the next birth. It
depends upon the intensity of the force generated by the action concerned.
It is very difficult to understand how karma works, because the whole of nature is
the determining factor behind the operation of the law of karma. A particular action,
though it is singled out from all others at any particular time, may produce an effect
which has some relevance to other factors which are unknown to the individual, and
it may be conditioned by those unknown factors. That is why it is said, gahanā
karmaṇo gatiḥ (B.G. IV.17): The way in which karma works is inscrutable; even the
gods cannot understand it. The reason is simple: every karma has some connection
with every force in nature. And, the way in which the karma can be fulfilled or made
to manifest is determined by the law of the entire nature, of which an individual can
have no knowledge because of the limitation of the knowledge in the individual to a
particular frame of the physical body. Thus, there is a complete subjection of oneself
to the forces of karma, given rise to by desires of this kind in respect of objects of
sense.
Therefore, rebirth cannot be avoided as long as unfulfilled desires are present. These
desires which cause rebirth are not necessarily conscious longings of the mind in
respect of any intelligible object. Just now, when you are here listening to me, it may
appear that you have no desires at all. “What desire have I got, except to hear what
you say?” This is what you will be thinking in your mind. It may be. You may be very
honest in feeling so, but that is not the truth, because at the present moment the
conscious activity of your mind is directed or channelised voluntarily by you in a
given fashion. But, this voluntary activity of the mind will cease as soon as the cause
of this action ceases—namely, my speaking before you. When the cause subsides, the
effect will also subside. Then the other impressions among the unfulfilled ones will
show their heads, and whichever is stronger will speak to you first—just as in a
revolution, the leader will take action first and will be the person to confront people.
The leader of the revolution will come up and speak in a language of his own, and one
has to listen to this language because of the power of that leader. Then an action is
taken in the direction of the fulfilment of the wish of that leading principle.
The desires, therefore, are not necessarily intelligent manoeuvres of the mind,
consciously directed. They are not always deliberate. Psychologists tell us that there
are various layers of the mind, which is another way of saying there are various layers
of the manifestation of desire, because what is mind but desires? This purusha is
supposed to be made up of desires only. These different layers of mind which are
studied by psychology are the different densities of the manifestation of desire. The
dense ones are visible first and the lesser in density remain at the background, just as
there can be layers of clouds darkening the sun completely, and though we will see
only the thickest, lowermost layer which is proximate to us, the inner layers are
always there, invisible.