Spiritual teacher and scholar of Vedanta, Swami Sarvapriyananda, discusses the nature of desire and its negative impact on spiritual life. They explore the importance of identifying and defeating desire as the source of problems, the presence of desire in our inner and outer being, and the challenges of following self-improvement advice. The speaker emphasizes the need to control the senses and discipline the mind and intellect, and delves into the nature of desire and the role of self-control in the spiritual journey.