--> Skip to main content


Hinduism On Lust

Lust or strong sexual desire is something natural as per Hinduism. It is not a sin or wrong be lustful. But you need to follow Dharma. You cannot hurt another living being physically or emotionally to fulfill your lust. It simple terms you should have healthy and mutual sex with your partner – the emotion of love should overpower lust.

Sex is a natural urge just like hunger, thirst, urination or passing motion. It becomes a problem when it interferes with a natural living. A person should realize that he should not get consumed by lust.

Hinduism is totally against lust which is bound to cause hurt. If the sexual urge is to desire somebody as an object is to offend that person. It is an insult, it is violent.

The ghost of lust lurks in the hole of one’s mind and deludes the mind in a hundred ways. (Yoga Vasishta)

Adi Shankaracharya says that he is poor person who has uncontrolled lust. Adi Shankara also says that Self-control is having a firm hold on the lust of the eyes and the outward powers.

Lust of a person who has no self control can never be fulfilled. Lust when not control is an enemy of man and there will be free fall.

The best way to control lust is to change direction of the energy. Lust is a desire to get and we need to turn this energy towards self realization. The more you increase your love for knowing Supreme Truth, the lesser the energy that will flow towards lust.

Bhagavad Gita says that hell has three doors – lust, rage, and greed. The only way to shut them is to turn the energy we have for these towards constructive purposes.

Majority of human mind in Kali Yuga (the present age) is filled with unquenchable desires. So they say that the world is without truth, without basis and without a God, born of mutual union, caused by lust, nothing else. This is when lust gets out of control and we get to hear all kinds of sexual perversions in society.

The foolish man who, with his vision blinded, is tempted by lust and considering opposite sex as objects of enjoyment, is destroyed, like the moth. (Uddhava Gita 3.8)

A blinded and uncontrollable lust will result in the destruction of man. But when lust is controlled and is shared with a willing partner you are one with nature.

Just as Agni (fire) destroys the darkness, in the same manner we should use 'the fire of knowledge' for the destruction of Kama (lust).

Lust or sexual desire is like fire, when used intelligently it gives us pleasure, happiness and contentment. But when we have no control over lust it becomes an uncontrollable wildfire first killing the person who starts it and along with it lives of many others.