Thirst, desire, and associated activity to fulfil desire. (Glossary for the Vahinis)

‘Trishna’ has two meanings, ‘Desire’ and ‘Thrist’. It is natural in daily life to have desire for certain necessities and comforts. Among the necessities of daily living, three are most essential; food for sustenance, garments to wear and shelter for dwelling. The desire for these is natural for man. Even in this there are two kinds of desires; One is natural. The other is excessive and misdirected desire. ‘I want a house’ is a legitimate desire and one should seek it. But it is greedy to desire to possess two or more houses.

Today greed is more prevalent among men than desire for necessities. With the result that man is afflicted with grief and worry. He has become a stranger to contentment. He is steeped in discontentment on account of insatiable desires. The other meaning of the word ‘Trishna’ is ‘Thirst’. Whenever one is thirsty one has to drink water. When will this thirst end? Thirst will not cease as long as life lasts. Even at the moment of death people feel thirsty.

How is the thirst (for material things) to be quenched? It is possible through efflux of time to get rid of iron shackles when they get rusty, but it is not easy to get rid of ‘Trishna’(desire). ‘Trishna’ is the cause of limitless desires. If desires are fulfilled, one’s ego gets inflated (ahamkara). If they are not realised, hatred develops. (SSS Vol.21)

The trishna (thirst) for wealth is folly! Trishna has two meanings, ‘Thirst and desire.’ It is natural for many to have desires and thirst. But there is a difference between desire and thirst. It is natural for men not to be content with what they have but to desire for more and more goods and more and more comforts. But in seeking fulfilment of such desires, one should take care not to cause any harm or suffering to others. Trishna is different from desire. It has no limit. It is insatiable. (SSS Vol.17, pp. 64-65)