For the past few months we have been hearing plenty of stories on the media about AIDS and its dangers and how more and more people are falling prey to it. I feel the primary reason for this increase is not because people are falling to have protected sex but instead its because the people of today are failing to take into control the urge of lust in their bodies; they have instead let lust take control of them resulting in the need for pornography and then casual sex which finally leads to aids. Now at the age of 17,I too fall prey to lust not so long ago; IÂ’ve seen plenty of phonographic materials on the Internet but what I saw through my experience was that no matter how many hours of sexual contexts I saw, I was never was able to satisfy the urge of lust in me. I constantly wonder about this and was finally able to find answers to my quires in the books of Hinduism which totally charged my viewpoint of lust. Now IÂ’m sharing the knowledge I have gain in here in hope that it will change some of your views too.
One verse was enough to totally change my view and at the same time answer my question. I found it in the in the Manu-smriti
Desire is never extinguished by the enjoyment of desired objects; it only grows stronger like a fire fed with clarified butter.Manu-smriti 2.94
This verse gave me a perfect answer to my question. All this while I have been seeing hours of phonography in hope that it will satisfy my lust but now I saw that no quantity of phonography, sex, ectÂ… will be able to do that in fact its only going to make me urge for more and more until I get AIDS, IÂ’m sure not even that would have been able to stop me ( seeing what is going on in Africa today}
Krishna shares this same knowledge in Bhagavad-Gita
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.Bhagavad-Gita 3.39
Krishna tells that lust is the perverted form of love and that is why it seems that unlike other sins like anger, greed, envy and jealousy, lust seems to be present in everybody. Krishna says
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 Bhagavad-Gita 3.38
Learning the above knowledge arouse another question in me.
So how in the world do you control lust?
It turns out there is only one way to keep it under control and both the Manu-smrthi and the Bhagavad-Gita agree on it.
Krishna says
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 and thus--by spiritual strength--conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust Bhagavad-Gita 3.43
Manu says
Those (organs) which are strongly attached to sensual pleasures, cannot be restrained by abstinence (from enjoyments) as by constant (pursuit of true) knowledge can. Manu-smriti 2.96
So it seem the only way to control lust is through the pursuit of spiritual knowledge. Ever if you have no interest in spiritual knowledge just the reading of it will help you control lust as stated by Krishna, one can steady the mind by deliberate spiritual intelligence.
Manu says it cannot be controlled by avoidances because even if you donÂ’t physically do anything. Once you step into the trap of lust your mind will constantly think about it creating all sorts of illusions in your mind making you fall into the same trap over and over again.
It seems much can be gained by the sacrificial of lust rather then the persuasion of it. One thing is of course you wonÂ’t get aids and die a painful death, so try your best Ok?
Through the attachment of his organs (to sensual pleasure) a man doubtlessly will incur guilt; but if he keeps them under complete control, he will obtain success (in gaining all his aims)Manu-smriti 2.93
If one man should obtain all those (sensual enjoyments) and another should renounce them all, the renunciation of all pleasure is far better than the attainment of them. Manu-smriti 2.95