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Meditation for Diwali - Part 1.
Conquering Lust - Excerpts from a lecture by HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj
Submitted by Manoj
What does it mean to be purified ?
The soul is essentially pure. Just as the sun in the sky is pure. And the rays of the sun are light giving and beneficial for all living beings. But when the sun is obscured by a cloud, it cannot be perceived. Similarly the beauty of the soul, who is a part of God, cannot be appreciated as long as it is covered by the cloud of ignorance. The spirit soul being part of Krishna, has all the qualities of God in minute quantities. All the opulences of God are reflected by the soul. But
the cloud of ignorance hides the pure transcendental qualities of the soul.
When covered, what we see are the symptoms of ignorance - Lust, Anger, Greed, Envy, Illusion, and pride. The six enemies of the soul are very powerful, because they are completely empowered by Maya or the illusory energy. Krishna declares in the
Gita that these six enemies are unconquerable, very difficult to over come.
Lust is the greatest enemy. Sometimes with our logic, reasoning, our knowledge, we know that something is not right. We know the consequences of engaging in certain activities. Yet there is a force within us that impels us, forces us to engage in abominable things. Arjuna asked Krishna in the Gita, what is that force. Who is it that is impelling me to engage in abominable activities
as if by force. Krishna responded, it is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of the material mode of passion, which is later turned into wrath which is the all devouring sinful enemy of this world.
So what does lust mean. Some people have a very crude conception that lust means some erotic relationship, illicitly. That is a very very horribly gross idea of kama. But actually, kama means any desire that is separate from God. So even some of the most pious, religious, sophisticated men are victims are kama, in the true sense. Anything that is used for any other purpose independent of God is considered in the Bhagavad Gita as Kama, lust, the all-devouring sinful enemy of the world.
So how to conquer this all-devouring sinful enemy. There is a method ...
And it a sure 100% method. And the supreme Lord showed us the method in a wonderful way.
He sent to this world, lust personified. Ravana. Ravana was the most striking emblem of lust in the history of all creation.
Sita Devi is the wife of Ram. Sita is none other than an expansion of Lakshmi Devi, the goddess of fortune. All the fortune of the world is the energy of Sita. What is fortune .. Fortune does not simply mean money. Fortune means anything good. Fortune means good health, popularity, comforts in life, good friendship, good family, etc. Fortune means anything good in this world. And to loose anything good is misfortune.
So anything that is good … anything that we like in this world, is the energy of Lakshmi devi. Lakshmi devi never ever ever leaves the feet of Narayana. She is always closest to the heart of Narayan. Infact one of the names of Vishnu is Sreenivas, which means Vishnu always has Sri, Lakshmi, close to His heart.
So what happens when we take the fortune of this world and try to separate it from Vishnu, for our own satisfaction ?
Lakshmi expands Herself, same energy, same person, but she appears as Durga. Durga, in Sanskrit, literally means prison. When you see Lakshmi, you see lotus flower in Her hand, which is a sign of auspiciousness, victory, success, beauty and opulence. In another hand she is offering her blessings. For those who approach her by using her energy in the service of Vishnu, she appears before that person in this beautiful form. But those who take her and try to user her, to exploit her, in their sense gratification, instead of offering her to Vishnu, she appears as Durga.
Durga does not carry lotus flowers. She carries, swords and tridents, and clubs. The trident is the most formidable weapon. It has 3 throngs. Which signify the 3 fold miseries of the material world - Miseries caused by ones own body and mind, such as mental distress, worrying, physical disease, old age. Miseries caused by other living beings - sometimes people insult you, sometime they cheat you, exploit you, sometimes even your loved ones completely disappoint you. And miseries caused by natural disturbances - such as too much heat, cold, rain, wind, volcanoes, cyclone, tornadoes. Durga devi is constantly keeping those persons who are under her control in line with this trident, stabbing their heart with the 3 fold miseries of material existence.
… to be continued tomorrow.
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