DISCOURSES & TALKS BY MEHER BABA

 

LUST

 

 

 

 

19th October, 1929

 

The mandali, though happy to be forgiven by Baba, felt self-conscious and guilty about their past weaknesses. Baba then elaborated on what he had stated:

 

 

Lust is not bad. Because of this lust, you have been born as human beings. It is due to this very lust that you will turn from men into God! But even if lust is there in you, don't put it into action. From the spiritual point of view, lust is the worst possible weakness. The real hero is he who successfully fights it. Sleeping with a woman who isn't your wife is one of the worst possible sins. What had to happen, has happened; but from now on, beware of carnality.

 

 

Follow my orders and stay away from lust. What lasting pleasure can one derive from such stinking parts? It dirties the body and destroys the soul!

 

 

I know each and every thing, but knowing everything, I keep on watching. Perhaps you might think, "Why doesn't Baba save us from committing sins, despite knowing everything?"

 

 

 

 

Before you do any wrong action, I already know that you are going to do it! Then why do I not prevent you? It is my secret. The secret of my work is, though I know everything, I do not interfere. The fact is, you should have this lust, but you should do your utmost not to fall prey to it. You should put up a fierce fight, and though defeated a thousand times, you should again be ready to continue to fight it.

 

Were I to wish it, I could destroy the lust in you in no time. But what would be the use of destroying it? In the end, it will be I who destroys it. In the meantime, continue with the battle inside yourselves. This is the law; it is necessary. Then joy will come in defeating lust. Without a struggle, there is no pleasure in fighting. The real pleasure lies in success after so many defeats. Wars won without obstacles, without sacrifices and untiring effort, afford no pleasure. This should be a life and death fight! Lust is there to be fought. It is a lifelong struggle. It will harass you to the end of your days. It should be there to fight you, and you should always be alert and ready for battle.

 

He who has love for and faith in me will try doubly hard to obey me. If you touch any woman [inappropriately], tell me immediately; this is one remedy. Another is to think that in your last birth you were a woman and had connections with a man; now you are a man and you want connections with a woman. You have had enough satisfaction in previous births. What is to be had by more lust?

 

Foremost, you should try to get rid of lust, as all other vices are on account of it. For instance, if a parrot's throat is cut, it dies. But if its wings are clipped, it does not die; after some time the feathers of the wings grow back. Lust can be compared to the parrot's head. Therefore, when lust is still present and we conquer other evils, such as anger, the evils again revive — everything rises out of the head. But if lust is killed once and for all, every other evil is also destroyed — you have cut off its head.

 

Yet, in truth, lust is necessary for evolution.

 

It starts developing in the vegetable forms. With the increase in lust, there is advancement in evolution, since lust means energy. And with the increase in energy, consciousness expands.

 

But these are points on this Path which you will never understand. There are thousands of points thinner than hair. Remember it is no easy thing to eradicate sanskaras gathered during birth after birth, and lust is the hardest of all. But be heroes and fight lust; you will defeat it. The real pleasure is to fight it and not succumb to it! Knowing this, I let it remain, but I will destroy it in you when the time comes. Until then, go on fighting and never give up.