Overcoming Lust: A Guide to Self-Realization Through Transcendental Knowledge

1. Bhagavad-Gita As It IsChapter 3. Text 36-43 Lust – the all devouring enemy of living entity. How to subdue the enemy of Lust?

2. Text 36Why one engages in sinful activities? arjuna uväca atha kena prayukto 'yaà päpaà carati püruñaù anicchann api värñëeya baläd iva niyojitaù Arjuna said: O descendant of Våñëi, by what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force?

3. Living entity pure by nature Living entity is pure and never contaminated. Contact with material nature is the cause of covering it’s pure nature. Acting in many sinful ways without hesitation and sometimes even without his wish.

4. çré-bhagavän uväca käma eña krodha eña rajo-guëa-samudbhavaù mahäçano mahä-päpmä viddhy enam iha vairiëam The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world. Lust – the desire for sense gratification. Lust turned to anger when unsatisfied. Living entity suppose to enquire the purpose of life, athato brahma … Janmady asya… origin of lust. Lust when directed in Krsna Consciousness, it becomes friend else enemy.E.g. Hanuman – angry. Text 37

5. dhümenävriyate vahnir yathädarço malena ca yatholbenävåto garbhas tathä tenedam ävåtam “As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, or as the embryo is covered by the womb, the living entity is similarly covered by different degrees of this lust.” Text 38Different degrees of Lust

6. ävåtaà jïänam etena jïänino nitya-vairiëä käma-rüpeëa kaunteya duñpüreëänalena ca Thus the wise living entity's pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire. Lust cannot be satisfied by any amount of sense enjoyment, just as fire is never extinguished by a constant supply of fuel. Criminals are kept within bars; similarly, the criminals who are disobedient to the laws of the Lord are shackled by sex life in this world. So-called feeling of happiness is the ultimate enemy of the sense enjoyer. Text 39

7. Text 40Sitting places of Lust indriyäëi mano buddhir asyädhiñöhänam ucyate etair vimohayaty eña jïänam ävåtya dehinam The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the sitting places of this lust. Through them lust covers the real knowledge of the living entity and bewilders him.

8. Consciousness of person under the sway of Lust. yasyätma-buddhiù kuëape tri-dhätuke sva-dhéù kalaträdiñu bhauma ijya-dhéù yat-tértha-buddhiù salile na karhicij janeñv abhijïeñu sa eva go-kharaù "A human being who identifies this body made of three elements with his self, who considers the by-products of the body to be his kinsmen, who considers the land of birth worshipable, and who goes to the place of pilgrimage simply to take a bath rather than meet men of transcendental knowledge there, is to be considered like an ass or a cow.

9. Text 41-42Curbing the Lust through transcendental tasmät tvam indriyäëy ädau niyamya bharatarñabha päpmänaà prajahi hy enaà jïäna-vijïäna-näçanam indriyäëi paräëy ähur indriyebhyaù paraà manaù manasas tu parä buddhir yo buddheù paratas tu saù Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bhäratas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization. The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.

10. Text 43 evaà buddheù paraà buddhvä saàstabhyätmänam ätmanä jahi çatruà mahä-bäho käma-rüpaà duräsadam Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to the material senses, mind and intelligence, O mighty-armed Arjuna, one should steady the mind by deliberate spiritual intelligence [Kåñëa consciousness] and thus—by spiritual strength-conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust.

11. Transcendental Knowldege • Body means senses, • Senses controlled by mind, • Mind under the control of intelligence. • Soul is above intelligence, thus can conquer the Lust. • This is transcendental knowledge the means of attaining liberation.