A Great Lesson

Selfish desire is the root cause of Raavana's ruin 

"Raavana taught a great lesson to the world. He exclaimed: "Oh men! Do not live as I have lived and ruin your lives." What is the root cause of Raavana's ruin? 

Unable to conquer his desires, unwilling to get rid of his impulses, he ruined his entire clan. His sons were killed. His brother and other kinsmen were killed and ultimately his country itself was reduced to ashes. Raavana confessed- "In the end I ruined myself." This was the message Raavana gave to his countrymen in his last moments. ]

Only by suppressing desires does a man manifest his humanness. A man who is unable to put an end to his desires, puts an end to himself. A good man by his good conduct achieves greatness. Raavana sought to achieve greatness but did not strive to lead a good life. Raama's career is different. He aspired only to be a good man and did not seek greatness."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 16.4.1997)