Acharya Prashant addresses the nature of desire in the context of spirituality. He begins by questioning the object of desire, repeatedly asking, "For what?" He clarifies that a spiritual person can indeed want things like money, and there is nothing inherently unspiritual about such desires. The crucial point is the purpose for which one desires something. Spirituality is not about being free from all desires, especially for a seeker. Instead, it is about cultivating the right desire. Any object can be a candidate for a rightful desire depending on the context and the intention behind it. The purpose determines whether a desire is shallow or spiritual. He explains that the intention behind an action is what matters. For instance, if desiring a person or money assists in one's internal growth or helps overcome bondage, then that desire is not wrong. The problem arises when there is a compromise or a trade-off. If one must choose between a lower pleasure, like tasty food, and a higher goal like liberation, one must know the value hierarchy and choose wisely. The prominence of lower-order desires, such as for tasty food, indicates that the higher-order goal is not receiving enough attention and love. The presence of these small desires signifies that a certain "highness" is missing from one's life. Drawing from the Bhagavad Gita, Acharya Prashant states that the right fruit of all action is Krishna, which he equates with liberation. Therefore, all work and desire should be for the sake of liberation. He addresses the paradox that liberation itself implies freedom from desire. He explains that this freedom is the final step. First, a seeker must have a burning desire for liberation. This very desire, because it is a burning one, will ultimately burn itself out upon the attainment of liberation. Until one is fully free, the fire of desire for liberation must be kept alive and stoked continuously, as echoed in the Upanishads' call to "get up, and don't stop till you reach there."
