One of the four Purusharthas of life is Kama or fulfillment of desires. We have a variety of desires and seek name, fame, power, wife, children, home, fulfillment of sexual desires and a whole host of other things. Fulfillment of desires is right and must be done. It is not wrong or a sin to want name, fame, partner, home, children etc. We have a right to fulfill our desires but we must do so keeping the laws of dharma or ethics in our mind. When we keep fulfilling desires we learn many lessons. We learn that all beings have desires and have a right to fulfill them. We understand that just as we yearn to fulfil our desires and seek opportunities to do so, we must also permit others to fulfill their desires. We learn by experience that desires give temporary happiness and as soon as one desire is fulfilled, multiple desires are there to take the place of the fulfilled one. Finally, we understand that in order to escape from the endless cycle of earning, yearning and new desires cropping up, we must let go and reach out to the desire of love of God which will help us overcome this maddening spiral of wants and fulfillment.
The Ramayana speaks of Sugriva, the brother of Vali who was the ruler of Kishkindha. Vali and Sugriva had great love and respect for each other. Once, a demon came raging to the gates of Kishkindha and challenged Vali to a fight. Vali accepted the challenge and attacked the demon with great force. The demon sensed that he would be defeated soon, and ran off. Vali ran behind him and chased him into a cave. Vali informed Sugriva to wait outside the cave. Sugriva waited for a week and heard horrific screams and saw blood oozing out of the cave, he concluded that his brother was dead and he sealed the mouth of the cave with a huge stone. He wished to prevent the demon from coming out and attacking the kingdom. The ministers of the kingdom forcibly crowned the reluctant Sugriva as King, as the kingdom could not be left alone without a Head. In the meantime, Vali, managed to kill the demon. He broke through the blocked door of the cave and returned to the capital and found his brother sitting on the throne as king. He felt betrayed and attacked Sugriva. Sugriva humbly explained what happened but Vali would not listen. Vali threw him out of the kingdom and forcibly took Sugriva’s wife Ruma. As a result, the brothers became bitter enemies.
Sugriva was hunted and hounded by his brother. He lived in hiding from his brother. He wanted to avenge the wrongs done to him, defeat his brother and get back his wife Ruma. He wanted his kingdom and his family back. He doubted the strength of Sri Rama and tested him. Sri Rama passed the tests imposed on him by Sugriva and Sugriva was finally convinced of prowess of Sri Rama. Sri Rama killed Vali and crowned Sugriva as King of Kishkindha. In return, Sugriva helped Sri Rama in locating Maa Sita and building a bridge to Lanka and finally fighting the war with Ravana.
Kama or desires of material fulfilment - of wanting family, kingdom, wife, power, defeating enemy, brought Sugriva to Sri Rama and all his kama or wishes were fulfilled. Surgriva served the Lord with body, mind and soul. His seva earned him blessings of Sri Rama by which he attained salvation. His driving need for fulfilment of Kama or desires, led to his meeting the Lord and then working to help the Lord. When we look to God’s help for fulfilment of material desires, He shows us the way to attain them and slowly puts us on the right track to salvation.
