« The Song of God—Volume 1, chapters 1-6
The danger of lust and anger (Bg 3.36 to 3.43)
After describing the process of devotional service, Kṛṣṇa now examines the obstacles we face on this path. The difficulties may appear in many forms, but they stem from a common enemy, the very force that binds us to this material world, and prevents us from finding our way out. This is an enemy that has to be defeated from the beginning, before it can drag us away from the path of self-realization.
Text 36: arjuna uvāca
atha kena prayukto ’yaṁ, pāpaṁ carati pūruṣaḥ
anicchann api vārṣṇeya, balād iva niyojitaḥ
Arjuna said: O descendant of Vṛṣṇi, by what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force?
Text 37: śrī-bhagavān uvāca
kāma eṣa krodha eṣa, rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ
mahāśano mahā-pāpmā, viddhy enam iha vairiṇam
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.
Text 38: dhūmenāvriyate vahnir, yathādarśo malena ca
yatholbenāvṛto garbhas, tathā tenedam āvṛtam
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 39: āvṛtaṁ jñānam etena, jñānino nitya-vairiṇā
kāma-rūpeṇa kaunteya, duṣpūreṇānalena 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.
Text 40: indriyāṇi mano buddhir, asyādhiṣṭhānam ucyate
etair vimohayaty eṣa, jñānam āvṛtya 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.
Text 41: tasmāt tvam indriyāṇy ādau, niyamya bharatarṣabha
pāpmānaṁ prajahi hy enaṁ, jñāna-vijñāna-nāśanam
Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bhāratas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization.
Text 42: indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur, indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ
manasas tu parā buddhir, yo buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ
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.
Text 43: evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā, saṁstabhyātmānam ātmanā
jahi śatruṁ mahā-bāho, kāma-rūpaṁ durāsadam
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 [Kṛṣṇa consciousness] and thus – by spiritual strength – conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust.
After the last section, the point about performing duties and following the regulations of the scriptures is now clear enough. However, it can be practically seen that often a person may philosophically understand this principle and agree to act according to the principles of the scriptures, but still fail to do it due to some mysterious force that hijacks his intelligence and impels him to do the wrong thing, as if by force. What kind of force is this?
One could argue that it must be the Supersoul, because it is described that He is everywhere and directs the wanderings of all living entities. This idea is, however, quickly dismissed. The Supersoul does not desire the soul to act sinfully. This must be due to some other cause.
Another could conclude that it comes from the soul, but this is also not exactly correct. The soul is originally pure, free from material contamination. The soul has free will, and this can cause the soul to come in contact with the material nature, but the tendency to act sinfully also does not come directly from the soul. This comes from another cause, that covers the soul.
Kṛṣṇa not only identifies it but also explains from where it comes and the whole process of how it acts: “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 is not part of the soul, but it is a covering that appears from something that is inherent in the soul, which is love for Kṛṣṇa. It is just like milk transformed into yogurt or curd. Milk is by nature sweet, but when it comes in contact with bacteria or an acid, it is transformed. The acidity is not part of the milk, but it is introduced due to contact with an external source.
Prabhupāda explains this process masterfully in his purport:
“When a living entity comes in contact with the material creation, his eternal love for Kṛṣṇa is transformed into lust, in association with the mode of passion. Or, in other words, the sense of love of God becomes transformed into lust, as milk in contact with sour tamarind is transformed into yogurt. Then again, when lust is unsatisfied, it turns into wrath; wrath is transformed into illusion, and illusion continues the material existence. Therefore, lust is the greatest enemy of the living entity, and it is lust only which induces the pure living entity to remain entangled in the material world. Wrath is the manifestation of the mode of ignorance; these modes exhibit themselves as wrath and other corollaries. If, therefore, the mode of passion, instead of being degraded into the mode of ignorance, is elevated to the mode of goodness by the prescribed method of living and acting, then one can be saved from the degradation of wrath by spiritual attachment.”
The soul is endowed with free will, and when this free will is misused, we come into contact with the material energy, and end up being covered in this way. Later in the Gītā, Kṛṣṇa will explain the three modes of material nature in detail. As long as we can remain situated in the mode of goodness, we remain on an upward path, but as soon as we come in contact with the mode of passion, lust covers us, manifesting itself in different forms of material desires. Thus, if lust is not controlled, it brings us down to the mode of ignorance, which is especially dangerous.
The soul is not factually transformed, but as long as the covering of lust is there, all actions and thoughts become perverted. There is a way out, however. Just as love for Kṛṣṇa is transformed into lust, the same lust can be transformed back into love of Kṛṣṇa. Lust is also a potency of Kṛṣṇa, and it can be thus used in both ways, just as the same electrical current can produce both heat and cold according to the appliance it is connected to. The same applies to anger, which is the transformation of lust due to contact with the mode of ignorance.
This is also explained by Prabhupāda in his purport:
“Therefore the origin of lust is also in the Supreme. If, therefore, lust is transformed into love for the Supreme, or transformed into Kṛṣṇa consciousness – or, in other words, desiring everything for Kṛṣṇa – then both lust and wrath can be spiritualized. Hanumān, the great servitor of Lord Rāma, exhibited his wrath by burning the golden city of Rāvaṇa, but by doing so he became the greatest devotee of the Lord. Here also, in Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord induces Arjuna to engage his wrath upon his enemies for the satisfaction of the Lord. Therefore, lust and wrath, when they are employed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, become our friends instead of our enemies.”
Lust can be directed to Kṛṣṇa when we desire things for Kṛṣṇa. This comes from identification. We identify with our material body, and thus we want to decorate and satisfy it in different ways. We identify with our children, and thus we want to keep them satisfied in all aspects. Similarly, if we identify with Kṛṣṇa, developing love for Him, we will want to use everything for Him. In this case, lust becomes a catalyst instead of an impediment.
Similarly, if we find ways to use anger for Kṛṣṇa, it can also become the cause of our advancement instead of the opposite. Anger is an engine for action. With some adjustment, it can be used to perform different types of services, cleaning the temple vigorously, for example. Many famous book distributors were able to attain such high scores by directing anger they brought inside to their service—not at people, but in the sense of maintaining their fighting spirit, using their energy to distribute in effective ways. Similarly, Arjuna employed his anger in the battle of Kurukṣetra, and Hanumān used his to burn Lankā.
If, however, lust and anger are not used for Kṛṣṇa, and thus purified, they remain as coverings that obstruct our consciousness. This is the situation of most conditioned souls. Kṛṣṇa gives three examples to explain three degrees of coverings: as fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, and as the womb covers an embryo.
The example of the embryo covered by the womb describes the helpless condition of souls in bodies of trees and plants. They are so covered that they can’t even move. The soul is active and blissful by nature, but when covered by ignorance to this extent, these symptoms become almost completely hidden, just like a baby in the womb.
The mirror covered by dust exemplifies the position of animals. When a mirror is covered by dust, there is some reflection, but we can’t see clearly. The function of the mirror is thus only partially visible. Similarly, animals exhibit some symptoms of the soul, moving and desiring, but are still clearly covered. One may move, but there is no possibility of seeing oneself clearly as an eternal soul.
Finally, the example of the fire covered by smoke illustrates the position of a human being. Fire covered by smoke is still fire. It still emits light and heat, just not very cleanly. The nature and potency of the fire are visible, just covered. If the fire is taken care of, it can grow and start burning cleanly. Similarly, the symptoms of the soul are more clearly visible in human life, and there is a chance of developing our Kṛṣṇa consciousness and destroying our material contamination. As Prabhupāda explains, “By careful handling of the smoke in the fire, fire can be made to blaze. Therefore the human form of life is a chance for the living entity to escape the entanglement of material existence. In the human form of life, one can conquer the enemy, lust, by cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness under able guidance.”
This lust that covers the soul has a notable characteristic: it is never satisfied. This explains how we can remain for such long, practically endless periods in this material world, going from one body to another without relief. Life after life, we feel the urge of the senses and try to satisfy it with sense gratification, which is the wrong process.
Just as fire cannot be extinguished by pouring ghee on it, lust is also never satisfied by sensual gratification. When we pour a great quantity of fuel at once, the fire suffocates a little, but soon it burns stronger than before. Similarly, a lot of sense gratification can make the mind peaceful for a short time, but soon lust returns with a vengeance.
The next question is where this lust can be found. What is its location inside the body? Kṛṣṇa answers that the senses, the mind and the intelligence are the sitting places of this lust. The role of the senses and the mind can be easily understood. The senses are the very means we use to enjoy matter, while the mind coordinates the work of the senses, storing all kinds of desires and impressions that surface one after the other. The mention of the intelligence, however, can be a little more puzzling.
If the intelligence is also affected, how is it supposed to free us? Here Kṛṣṇa speaks about the material intelligence, which is part of this material world. This material intelligence is a tool that helps us to understand the world around us and make plans to satisfy our ambitions, but it will never be able to find the way out of this material plane. The intelligence that can free us is a different type of intelligence, awakened through the study of the scriptures under the spiritual master. It is awakened as we receive the correct conclusions and mold our understanding of life around them.
Kṛṣṇa then reveals the process for defeating lust: “Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bhāratas, 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 process to control lust is to act according to the injunctions of the scriptures, regulating the actions of the senses through restrictions and regulations. We don’t have to starve, but we must restrict ourselves to prescribed foods offered to Kṛṣṇa; we don’t have to completely restrict sexual life, but we must limit it to married life, and so on. That’s the process that allows us to gradually extinguish the fire. It is not easy, but that’s what gives us a chance of success.
Simultaneously, we should develop a higher taste through the practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, cutting our attraction to this material world from the root. We thus have a negative and a positive process, and both have to be practiced simultaneously. This understanding makes the purport of Śrīla Prabhupāda more clear:
“Lust is only the perverted reflection of the love of God which is natural for every living entity. But if one is educated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness from the very beginning, that natural love of God cannot deteriorate into lust. When love of God deteriorates into lust, it is very difficult to return to the normal condition. Nonetheless, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so powerful that even a late beginner can become a lover of God by following the regulative principles of devotional service. So, from any stage of life, or from the time of understanding its urgency, one can begin regulating the senses in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service of the Lord, and turn the lust into love of Godhead – the highest perfectional stage of human life.”
When he speaks about the practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this includes the rules and regulations inherent to the process. Sahajiyās pretend to be great devotees while immersed in immoral habits, but their process is not effective. One should not indulge in immoral acts at any stage of practice, but there are two distinct phases: while practicing sādhana-bhakti, one has to make an effort to follow the rules, while in the rāgānugā stage, avoiding sinful activities becomes automatic, as one loses interest in sense enjoyment. Therefore, our practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness should start as soon as possible, and we should remain sober at all stages, avoiding the trap of unlawful sense enjoyment.
One could argue that the senses and the mind are too strong, and it is impossible to control them. Kṛṣṇa counters this by explaining the hierarchy inside the body: “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.”
The senses are very strong and superior to gross matter, but the mind is higher than the senses and can direct their actions. Similarly, the wanderings of the mind can be disciplined by the intelligence. The proof is that even a materialist can become disciplined and refrain from sense enjoyment when there is an important reason, like a student studying to enter into a good university, for example. However, the soul is still higher.
When the soul is not connected with Kṛṣṇa, one can be easily swayed by the movements of the mind and material intelligence, but when one is again connected with Kṛṣṇa, the hierarchy culminates in Him, who is greater than all. When the soul is connected with Kṛṣṇa, the functions of all the subordinates, the intelligence, mind and senses, will also be automatically engaged.
As Prabhupāda explains in the purport:
“In the Kaṭha Upaniṣad the soul has been described as mahān, the great. Therefore the soul is above all – namely, the sense objects, the senses, the mind and the intelligence. Therefore, directly understanding the constitutional position of the soul is the solution of the whole problem. With intelligence one has to seek out the constitutional position of the soul and then engage the mind always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That solves the whole problem. A neophyte spiritualist is generally advised to keep aloof from the objects of the senses. But aside from that, one has to strengthen the mind by use of intelligence. If by intelligence one engages one’s mind in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by complete surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then, automatically, the mind becomes stronger, and even though the senses are very strong, like serpents, they will be no more effective than serpents with broken fangs. But even though the soul is the master of intelligence and mind, and the senses also, still, unless it is strengthened by association with Kṛṣṇa in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is every chance of falling down due to the agitated mind.”
Kṛṣṇa then concludes the chapter, bringing us back to our original identity. Realizing this eternal identity is what allows us to finally subdue lust and never again return to this material world. All other forms of realization, including impersonal realization, are incomplete.
Kṛṣṇa consciousness is our real, spiritual intelligence. That’s the intelligence that allows us to subdue the mind and senses, along with the contaminated material intelligence. This is the intelligence that Kṛṣṇa mentions that can conquer our eternal enemy, lust.
In his purport, Prabhupāda gives us a summary of the conclusions of the chapter:
“This Third Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā is conclusively directive to Kṛṣṇa consciousness by knowing oneself as the eternal servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without considering impersonal voidness the ultimate end. In the material existence of life, one is certainly influenced by propensities for lust and desire for dominating the resources of material nature. Desire for overlording and for sense gratification is the greatest enemy of the conditioned soul; but by the strength of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can control the material senses, the mind and the intelligence. One may not give up work and prescribed duties all of a sudden; but by gradually developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can be situated in a transcendental position without being influenced by the material senses and the mind – by steady intelligence directed toward one’s pure identity. This is the sum total of this chapter. In the immature stage of material existence, philosophical speculations and artificial attempts to control the senses by the so-called practice of yogic postures can never help a man toward spiritual life. He must be trained in Kṛṣṇa consciousness by higher intelligence.”
Main points in the purports of Śrīla Prabhupāda:
“Arjuna said: O descendant of Vṛṣṇi, by what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force?”
a) The soul is originally pure, but in contact with the material nature, we are covered by lust and act sinfully without hesitation. Lust even forces us to act against our will. Arjuna’s question is very relevant: What is this force, and how to escape it?
“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.”
a) The association with the mode of passion transforms the eternal love for Kṛṣṇa that is inherent in the soul into lust, as milk becomes curd when mixed with tamarind. Lust can’t be satisfied, and thus eventually transforms into wrath, which continues material existence. Lust is thus the very cause of our material conditioning. How to escape? Instead of being degraded to the mode of ignorance, we need to progress to goodness.
b) The souls are expansions of Kṛṣṇa, meant to increase His spiritual bliss. They have partial independence, and that’s the factor that makes it possible for us to get involved with the material energy. This material creation is organized by Kṛṣṇa to give us an opportunity to become again free.
c) Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything. This means even lust is part of His energy. This means that lust, when properly connected with Him, used in His service, can be transformed back into its original form: love of Godhead. The same applies to anger. Both can be used in the service of Kṛṣṇa and purified.
“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.”
a) When a living entity exhibits a little bit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this can be likened to the fire covered by smoke. Dust on the mirror can be linked with the process of cleaning the heart, and also to animal life. The child is in a helpless condition inside the womb, which can be compared to the life of trees.
b) Different from plant and animal life, human life makes the development of Kṛṣṇa consciousness possible. By carefully kindling the fire, it can be made to blaze, destroying our material conditioning.
“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.”
a) Lust can’t be extinguished by sense enjoyment, just as fire can’t be extinguished by pouring fuel on it. On the contrary, it expands. Sense gratification may bring us some momentary pleasure, but this sensual happiness is our ultimate enemy, which prevents us from feeling real happiness on the spiritual platform. Lust is thus the chain that keeps us bound to this material world.
“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.”
a) Kṛṣṇa gives us a list of the strategic positions of lust inside the body that must be purified. The mind is the reservoir of all plans for sense gratification, and because of it, the senses are engaged in these activities. When the material intelligence also becomes affected, it cooperates with the mind in the satisfaction of these desires by making many plans. The material intelligence thus becomes absorbed in matter and drags the soul under the influence of the false ego, making one identify with body, family, country, and so on.
“Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bhāratas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization.”
a) Since sense gratification only increases lust, the best approach is to start controlling the senses as soon as possible, if possible, from early life.
b) What makes lust so dangerous? It completely destroys the desire for self-realization and covers all one’s knowledge about the soul and one’s relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
c) What is the antidote? The Bhagavad-gītā describes this knowledge about the soul as part and parcel of the Lord and meant to serve the whole. This original consciousness is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
d) Love of Godhead is natural for every living entity. Lust is just the perverted reflection of it. If we are trained in Kṛṣṇa consciousness since early life, we can prevent this original propensity for Kṛṣṇa consciousness from deteriorating into lust. This is the best path, because when lust becomes entrenched, later in life, it is very difficult to remove it.
e) However, because the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so powerful, one can start from any stage of life. Even someone who comes later in life can attain perfection by following the regulated process.
“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.”
a) The senses serve as channels for the expression of the lust that is inside the body. It is possible to disengage the senses from matter by a superior engagement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in which the soul makes direct contact with Kṛṣṇa, who becomes the top of the whole hierarchy.
b) When the soul is directly engaged with the Supreme, both the intelligence and the mind, as well as the senses, will be automatically engaged. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate: If the mind is engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, there is no chance of its being engaged in the lower propensities.
c) Using our intelligence, we need to find our constitutional position as the eternal soul, and with this understanding, always engage the mind in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This solves the whole problem. By doing this, the mind becomes strong and can easily subdue the senses. We need to, however, keep ourselves always engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; otherwise, there is every chance of falling down.
“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 [Kṛṣṇa consciousness] and thus – by spiritual strength – conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust.”
a) The essence of the teachings of the third chapter is to understand our eternal position as a servitor of Kṛṣṇa, without being distracted by impersonalism. Acting on this knowledge, we can control the mind and intelligence, and thus curb our tendency toward lust and control on the material platform.
b) Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the real process for transcendental realization. Mental speculation and yogic postures can’t help. One does not even need to abandon his material duties to become situated in a transcendental position. The point is developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, realizing one’s pure identity, and, based on this, making the intelligence steady by remaining connected with Kṛṣṇa.
Read the entire book:
« The Song of God—Volume 1, chapters 1-6
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