​If lust is present in our own senses, why does proximity to sense objects make us lusty?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
See, I said that lust is there in the senses, but there are different objects and then different messages come from different objects and they also induce certain kinds of desires. So, how is that? Yes, when I said that lust is present in the object, in our senses, now there is a cause of lust and there is a trigger of lust. The two are different.
So, for example, you know, if there is a gun, then if I shoot the gun, I press the trigger and a bullet goes and hit, wounds someone. Now, the pressing of the trigger is what caused the bullet to go out. But that’s what caught the gunshot and the wound.
But if there had been no bullet inside the gun, the pressing of the trigger would not have done anything. So, the trigger does cause the wound, the gunshot and the wound. But the trigger, as the word says, is a trigger.
The trigger is not the cause. The cause is the bullet present within it. So, like that, lust is present within us.
But the trigger may be some external object. So, when we see certain thing, then at that time, lust may be triggered within us. So, the trigger is not the cause.
In the sense that, or rather than using the word cause, we could say the source or the origin. So, the lust is present within us and the trigger is what causes it to get activated. Suppose, say, suppose there is a young mother.
She is not dressed in a very motherly way. But some man may see her and that sight of her may trigger lust. Now, that same mother may have a baby in her lap or in her arms.
And that baby is close to her. The baby is touching her body. But that baby does not feel any lust.
The sight of that woman causes lust in someone. But somebody who is touching does not feel lust. Why is that? Because there is no lust inside.
So, there is no trigger, there is no bullet in the gun. And the trigger does not cause anything to come out. So, is this clear, the difference? Lust is there within us, but certain things will trigger the lust.
Okay. How does lust come in the mind? See, lust is always there. But certain things can activate the lust.
So, there is the presence which will take a long time to go out, to eradicate. In fact, Krishna says, it will be there lifelong. But it will not be so forcefully pushing us.
So, we all have certain triggers. There is general sexual agitation that is there in everyone. But in certain situations, by certain stimuli, it becomes very strong.
So, if we know that there are certain things which are triggers for us, then we need to keep a distance from them. So, how it becomes activated? That is actually a combination of our particular impressions that we have. So, we may see a particular color and we may have a particular memory of a particular intelligence associated with that color or whatever.
And then that may trigger a particular kind of desire. So, we don’t have to go too much into trying to analyze. If we can easily analyze and find out where this has come from, we can try to analyze it.
Now, if I find in the room there is some dirt, I think, okay, where did this dirt come from? Okay, this window is open, maybe it has come from there. That is okay, if I can find out well and good, but most important is sweep out the dirt. So, similarly, the lust may, in the mind it is dormant and it becomes active at times.
So, if we can find out that certain things are the triggers which transfer the lust, which change the lust from dormant to active, then we can try to make some plans to avoid those triggers. But sometimes we may find that lust seems to get activated without any trigger. So, then the important thing is we just try to drive it out.
We try to fill our mind with Krishna so that the lust goes out. So, it is not always possible to find out the specific cause. Sometimes we may be able to find a trigger and we can plan to avoid the trigger as much as possible.
But more important is to have some plan, some strategy by which when lust gets activated, we find out how to battle it. Or we find out, you know, okay, at that time maybe I should sing a Vaishnav song which talks about surrendering to Krishna, maybe I should recite some verses, maybe I should chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra in a particular tune, or maybe I should have some picture of the deities which I find very attractive or whatever. So, we need to have our strategies.
Something, so lust basically means it triggers our emotions in a material direction. So, we have to find something which stimulates our consciousness in a spiritual direction. And what that will be for each one of us, that is for us to take inventory.
And then if we keep that readily accessible. So, when the consciousness is going in this direction, we find out something which can take our consciousness in other direction and resort to that. And that way we can counter that.
So, if we can find the origin and we can find the trigger, we can remove the trigger. But even if we can’t find the trigger, we have to find out how we can counter it. And the specific mechanisms, so there are triggers which we can avoid.
And we have to find out our triggers and avoid them. And we have to find out our own countering mechanisms and use those countering mechanisms. So, praying to Krishna, chanting, all these are important.
But it’s a war. You cannot go into a war with a stereotype formula. A warrior goes, I will use a sword to kill my enemy.
But the enemy is fighting with bow and arrow. And I will not be able to reach the enemy only before he kills me. If I am fighting with a sword.
So, we have to find out what weapons work for us. And we all find out, certain things stimulate our consciousness towards Krishna and we use those to stimulate our consciousness when it is being stimulated in the wrong direction by lust. Does it address the question? Yes.
So, how does lust arise from Rajoguna? Kamesha, Krodhesha, Rajoguna, Samudbhava. Yeah, different modes have different characteristics. Now, in Rajoguna, the primary characteristic is action.
Action for the sake of enjoyment. In Satyaguna, the characteristic is knowledge, observation and delight in the culture of knowledge. So, what Rajoguna does is, every guna creates a certain conception of happiness within us.
And then when that conception of happiness is created, we naturally move towards that direction. So, for example, if this is a floor. Now, if the floor is inclined in this direction, then by default, water will go in this direction.
If the floor is inclined in this direction, water will go in this direction. So, like that, each guna creates a certain inclination in our consciousness. And that shapes what we think will be happiness.
So, when a particular guna is prominent within us, then our conception of happiness is shaped accordingly. And that’s why when Rajoguna is there, then there is action in this world. So, our consciousness focuses on matter, immediately visible things.
And what can I do here to get pleasure? So, Rajoguna Samudbhava means, Rajoguna creates the setting, it creates the inclination of our consciousness, by which our consciousness will naturally flow towards sense objects for sensual gratification. That’s how Rajoguna Samudbhava, that’s how lust arises from the mode of passion. Does it answer your question? Or is your question something else?