Desire- Its Two faculties.

"Vasana, literally means 'wishing' or 'desiring', but is used in Advaita in the sense of sub-concious or latend tendencies of one's nature".

Man goes according to his 'desire', and it should be. Spiritual life and self exploration starts only at the end of his own desire. In each birth, the quality of the self improving by achieving his desire on physical things. After getting that, he will sense that what he achieved is a burden for him and hate it.

The world of desire (Vasanajalangal) is very powerful. No books, teaching or self control can stop one's  'Desire'. One should go through his own desires and at the end he should realise that no physical things brings permanent happiness to the self. Each physical achievements takes him to sorrow only. This should come from within at the end of his physical journey and then he starts look within and starts finding the permanent and Supream happiness. This is the secret of creation.

There are two type of desire in humans. One is desire for happiness by physical things. Second is desire for knowing the truth. This is called Jijnasa in Sanskrit. Jijñāsā is the desire to know. When the jijñāsā or the desire to know the true nature of objects intensifies then one reaches the threshold of jñāna.

"Ascent to higher levels of living, losing oneself to find the higher self can be achieved through jijnasa or disinterested passion for knowledge. It lifts man out of his narrow limits and makes him forget his self in the contemplation of the universal principles of existence. Knowledge pursued for the sake of power or fame does not take us far. It must be sought for attaining the truth."

Shankara holds the view that it is logical for a man who has studied the Upanishads to undertake a deliberation on Brahman even without deliberation on the religious rites. According to him deliberations, on virtuous deeds and Brahman, differ as regards results and objects of inquiry because virtuous deeds are related to things yet to be accomplished whereas Brahman is a pre-existing entity.

Swami Gambhirananda explains that the phrase - Brahma-jijñāsā, literally means - 'a wish to know Brahman'; and a wish invariably proceeds spontaneously from the knowledge that something is achievable by effort and that when achieved would lead to desirable results. In the sutra – अथातो ब्रह्मजिज्ञासा ( athatho Brahma jijnasa), this phrase means - 'a deliberation on the nature of Brahman'. In his commentary on this sutra, Shankara has extended the intended knowledge of Brahman far beyond the limits of informative knowledge and has indicated direct realisation of identity as its goal. The word अथः(Athatho) means – 'thereafter' or 'hereafter', and the end result of this inquiry is knowledge of Brahman