Ravana kidnapped Sita, and it led to not only his ruin, but to the destruction of all his relations, well-wishers and his subjects who associated with him. This rules out the need for bringing in the cloud example.įire can spread to the entire village, similarly the desire in one, affects the minds of others. Fire can envelop or surround a house and burn it down, similarly desire envelops the true nature of the self and harms it. This rules out the need for using wind as an example of desire moving one towards sense-objects. Similarly, desire is called “devah” as it shines out sense objects making them look enjoyable. Kashyapa concedes that fire alone can account for all characteristics of desire and there was no need to bring in the comparisons with wind or cloud. Meaning: Kashyapa said, “Just as Fire, kindled in one house, burns an entire village or a quarter, this desire which shines out sense objects (deva) deludes the senses of someone and then that delusion touches all, the virtous and the wicked alike, without any distinction.” Yathaikagēhē jātavēdāḥ pradīptaḥ kṛtsnaṁ grāmaṁ dahatē ca tvaraṁ vā.
Kashyapa concedes this point and replies, He is subtly showing that it is not necessary to invoke wind or cloud at all, but fire alone would suffice to describe desire with all it's characteristics. However, he points out that they do not compare with all characteristics desire possesses. Note that Aila is not contesting the fact that wind and cloud share some common characteristics with desire like movement and concealment. However, wind and cloud do not bind anyone, nor do they obstruct or illuminate other things. It is by this that men become deprived of the discrimination between real and non-real and become bound in Samsara. This it does by shining out sense objects to the self by making them appear as objects of enjoyment. Desire covers the knowledge-nature of the self, depriving it of it’s discrimination, thereby harming the self. On the other hand, it is seen among men that they become deprived of clear discrimination and become bound (in samsāra).”Īila raises an objection to the comparison of the nature of desire to wind and cloud. Meaning: Aila said, “The wind does not cover or obstruct anything, nor does the cloud hurt (anyone), nor also do they shine out (other objects). Na vai vātaḥ parivṛṇōti kaścinna jīmūtō varṣati nāpi dēvaḥ.