Possessed of birth-sickness, the root of that great terrible tree is desire.
According to the disease so indeed is the medicine, afterwards there is benefit. For the purpose of treating insignificant diseases, petty medicines are used, but for incurable illnesses, special drugs have to be used. Man who has fallen into the cycle of desires, is oppressed lifetime after lifetime by bhavaroga (birth-sickness). In order to be free from this great disorder you must have the influence of a very effective remedy. The difference between an incurable illness and birth-sickness is that an incurable illness destroys only one life, however, life with birth-sickness is a giddiness in the head which occurs in many births and life after life until one is having to live and die in great suffering. The great pains of life and death have just one little cause. Possessed of birth-sickness, the root of that great terrible tree is desire. Pointlessly rooted desire spreads its branches and this great fearful tree of birth-sickness stays nourished. >From lifetime after lifetime nourishment is pointlessly coming to this [rooted >desire]. For the purpose of eradicating this [desire] a lot of time is to be >spent until it is cut off, then this can be cut. Therefore, to calm the interminable lifetimes of desires a long time of meditation is necessary. [Shri Shankaracharya (Guru Dev) UpadeshAmrita kaNa 18 of 108] translation - Paul Mason © 2007
