Lust, Nudity and the Yogi

Hellenistic marble sculpture; Metropolitan Museum, New York

The Bhagvat Gita is an ancient revered scripture of Asia containing much spiritual knowledge. Let us begin with one of its verses about a yogi,

“He who is able to stand here on earth, before casting off this body, the urges of lust and anger, he is a yogi – a harmonized soul, a happy human.” Chapter V, Verse 23, Bhagvat Gita

Along with other desires that plague humans, lust remains a prominent one. It is said that some of this weakness remains even with the gods. Nevertheless, it is something the yogi constantly works to overcome. When one has overcome lust, nudity or sight of organs of procreations, that excite most humans, cease to excite the yogi any more than other body parts that the Lord gave humans. It is for this reason that sects of yogis in ancient times often shed all their clothes and walked about dressed in nothing more than the sky. Many still do. Ancients Greeks were similarly spiritually evolved and not similarly moved by nudity as most modern humans. For the ordinary human still trapped in throbs of lust, this raises some questions, Let us attempt to answer some FAQs

Q. Does lust suddenly disappear for the evolved yogi?

Ans: No, it is a gradual process. Lustful desires lessen gradually, even as they vary among everyday humans who are not yogis. The reaction at sight or talk of nudity is one measure of level of this lust. This author recalls an incident when he was on the East side of Vancouver with a friend in a truck in a building owned by him. The three story building had been divided into a set of apartment. Suddenly at the window of one of the apartments a young single lady appeared topless. So excited was this friend at the sight that he gasped and ran into the building towards her flat, perhaps hoping that she would answer the door bell in that state. Others on the street were not similarly excited although presumably they too suffer from lust. This friend was still heavily in its chains.

For a yogi such desires lessen gradually until they more or less disappear as the yogi evolves

Q. Does a yogi who has overcome lust become asexual?

Ans; No, if the interaction is for procreation, the yogi enjoys sexual interaction hugely but not otherwise

Q; Does a yogi give up romantic love?

Ans: No, not in the least. Evolved yogis or mystics such as Khalil Gibran, Rumi and Kabir were all ardent lovers but their love was devoid of lust. It was pure love even as Saint Kabir has said,

Where there is love, there is no lust

Where there is lust, there is no love

Many ordinary humans who are not yogis also experience this truth if and when they find true love in life.

A Source of Mirth

Elsewhere this yogi has mentioned that, Love, Truth, Simplicity, Beauty and Laughter are some of the means for spiritual or yogic evolution. The discomfort or weird reactions of humans still trapped in lust when sexual matters are raised is often a source of mirth for the yogi as mentioned in a tweet by this author,

This author was a student of engineering and his class mates still maintain friendship as a social group helped by internet and emails. Many a time this author too raises matters in this group on nudity as a source of mirth. Some years ago he wrote a novel around the topic for similar reasons entitled – Nude besides the Lake – It is widely available around the world if one googled for it.