*Chapter 4 - Honour Desire*

*Day 25*

The energy of desire is an unwed maiden. There is a beautiful story about Kanyakumari, which is at India's southernmost tip. 

Shiva was residing on Mount Kailash, which lies to the far north of India. Uma had a desire to marry Shiva. Uma means Parvati, and Parvati was a virgin, who was meditating and praying in a place that is now called Kanyakumari. 

Hearing Uma's prayer, Shiva set off from Kailash with his retinue. As per the rules at that time, the marriage had to be finalised before sunrise, or else it could not happen.

However, Uma had the power to destroy hosts of demons only if she remained a virgin. All the Gods started to worry about how the demons would be destroyed if Uma were to marry Shiva and go to Kailash, what would be the fate of southern India? 

So Indra, king of the gods, disguised himself as a rooster and went to the place where Shiva and his attendants were resting for the night. 

In the middle of the night, well before daybreak, he started crowing. Everyone thought that it was dawn because the rooster crows before the sun rises each morning. 

So Shiva and his retinue stopped, thinking that there was no point to go any further for the marriage. There is a place called Suchindrum that is 50kms away from Kanyakumari. 

It is believed to be the place where the marriage party stopped while Parvati meditated at Kanyakumari. This is the story. 

Uma remained a virgin and stayed at Kanyakumari, and the sun rose while all this happened. There is a spiritual aspect to this story. 

The energy of desire leads us to believe that it will make us happy but in fact it cannot. Even if a desire gets fulfilled, it does not give lasting happiness. 

So the energy of desire never reaches its goal, which is only

for your own benefit. Otherwise, desire cannot remain as an independent energy.

Imagine that the river Ganga originated in Gangotri and terminated in the sea. Then immediately the story would end. However, the river continues flowing. 

It does not ever reach the sea once and for all. Her desire to merge with the sea is unfulfilled, and as this desire remains unfulfilled, she continues to flow. 

What is the solution? Since desire is a virgin, she cannot ever meet happiness. Therefore, our ancestors decided to honour the power of desire, maya, Uma's power. 

Honour her or else she will never grant happiness. Since desire cannot reach its completion, she cannot give happiness. 

When you honour desire, those desires that are necessary get fulfilled and those that are unnecessary fall away. This is the story of Kanyakumari. 

Shiva is not somewhere in Kailash, but has come very close and stopped. The desire was expected to be fulfilled, but stays unfulfilled. 

There is an important difference between these two positions. Any desire, once fulfilled, takes you right back to square one, to where you were before the desire arose. 

Another meaning of this is that desires once fulfilled do not end, but continue forming one after another. These desires multiply and never stop. 

That is why it is said that Uma, the virgin, is the energy of desire. Observe the desires that arise again and again. Desire forever remains a virgin. 

The Ganga originated with a desire to meet the sea, but has this desire been fulfilled? If it was fulfilled, then why does the Ganga still flow today? 

Just as her flow is permanent, so is the power of desire. This is the meaning, the power of desire is Uma, the virgin woman. 

A virgin woman, or desire, can never meet the Shivatattva the essence of Shiva or the self. One who attains happiness cannot have any desire.