How to Control Lust: Top 10 Ways to Control Lust

Places Where Lust is Seated

Lust has it’s three places to seat within living entity: 

1. Senses
2. Mind
3. Intelligence

Mind controls the senses, Intelligence controls Mind, Soul controls Intelligence, and Soul is a part & parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When we lose our intelligence, our minds flicker and our senses scatter in search of sense gratification in this material world that continues the cycle of birth and death.  

Now the question will arise how to control our senses and mind?

The answer is that we have to put our senses in the service of the Supreme Personality of the Godhead Lord Krishna. When the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord there is no more flickering of Mind and our Intelligence will be stable. 

Cause of Lust:

Lust arises from contemplating the objects of the senses. It is like pouring butter into the fire which increases fire rather than calming it. The lusty desire increases even more when one lusty desire is fulfilled.

Swami Vivekananda: “He who can stem the tide of lust and anger is a great Yogi”

When we think of fulfilling any desire coming in our mind just for our sense gratification, it dictates us again to fulfil the desire based on the experience of the last fulfilled desire. So it is very important to stop fulfilling any random desire coming in our mind and should focus on what is our need.

Lust is not only a desire to enjoy the opposite sex, everything is lust for us, which work is prevented for us but just for our sense gratification we  are doing those things. Like if we want to progress on the platform of self realisation or Krishna Consciousness any work which we are doing where Krishna is not in the centre is lust for us. 

How To Control Lust: 

1.By Exercising Control over the Senses and the Mind

 In the Bhagavad Gita 3.41 Lord Krishna says:

 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-realisation.”

 Practically, if we see that in this modern age there are no programs in the schools and colleges to control our senses and mind and according to Bhagavad Gita one should learn this art from the very beginning of their life.

 If we do not learn to regulate our senses our mind will always be disturbed and the intelligence will vanish. There is a very simple method to regulate our senses by engaging them in the service of the Lord Krishna. Just like our great king Maharaj Ambrish did.

2.By Distinguishing Between Need and Desire:

We all know that we are not this body, we are the spirit soul. The body is a medium to perform our duties so there are some necessities to maintain this body and an intelligent person fulfils only necessities of the body because desires lead us to lust and hankering in this material world.

A peaceful mind is the basis for becoming truthful, clean, equipoised, self-controlled and tolerant.

3.Living in Accordance with Scripture :

The human form of life is meant for austerity, according to our scriptures we should follow the four regulative principles of human life.

1.       No illicit sex: outside marriage no intercourse with opposite sex
2.       No Meat Eating: Including Onion, Garlic and un-offered food to Lord.
3.       No Gambling
4.       No Intoxication: Including Tea, Coffee and Chocolates.
   

   4.Putting Positive Thoughts Into Your Mind: 

“Empty Mind is the Devil’s House.” 

There is GIGO principle which means:

“Garbage In Garbage Out

Good In Good Out” 

So whatever input we will give to our mind the same thing will come out in our thoughts and actions. That is why we need some good content to put in ourselves. And where will we find this good content? Of course! not from our social media platform we have to go to a spiritual institute where the divine practice happens which makes our mind peaceful and joyful. 

5.Associating with Good Peoples:

 Chanakya Pandit Says: “Show me your five Friends and I’ll show you your Future.”

Generally we do not care while making friends or associating with any person. We make any one our friends just by seeing their appearance and some other features. 

There is a direct impact of the association of the peoples in our life. So we should be very careful while making friends. We should associate with saintly persons who can suggest to us the right path in our life.

6.Taking Part in Spiritual Activities:

By engaging ourselves in devotional practices gives us the strength to bear the temptation of the material world and avoid the mind to indulge in sense gratification. If we execute devotional services it balances the thoughts and makes us busy in the thoughts of the service at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of the Godhead. 

7.Avoiding Social Media Platforms:

Elon Musk: “I think there should be regulations on social media to the degree that it negatively affects the public good.” 

Nowadays we can see that there is too much distreste by using social media platforms. It develops an inferiority complex in our mind so that we are always engaged in fulfilling the demands of the mind. If we do not know the right use of such platforms it wastes our time, energy and concentrating power. 

8.Reading our Scriptures:

Reading our great scriptures like Bhagavad Gita gives us the ethics to live life. So it is very important to read, understand and apply the instruction of such great scriptures in our life. Bhagavad Gita, also known as the manual of human life, teaches us the art to live a happy and peaceful life. 

Mahatma Gandhi: “When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad Gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow.” 

9.Do Charitable Work:

It is usually seen that when we have more money than our necessity we expense them in our own sense gratification. Money is the main factor in fulfilling our lust. But when we give money in charity to a suitable person, they utilise it in the service of the lord and spiritual welfare of the people.

 According to the scriptures we should donate 50% of our earnings in charity to saintly people who are always engaged in the service of the lord, 25% in maintaining the family and 25% kept as savings for emergency cases.