Category:Desires of Men
Theme Analysis
The category regarding the desires of men presents a critical analysis of male psychology within the material world. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the conditioned soul in the male body is primarily driven by lust (kāma)—specifically the attraction to women and the accumulation of wealth. This drive is described as insatiable; like a fire that grows when fed, material desires do not cease even when the body becomes old and invalid. The quotes highlight the suffering inherent in this condition, particularly in old age when the "instrument" of enjoyment fails but the desire remains. The philosophical solution offered is not the artificial suppression of desire (which characterizes a "dead man") but its transformation. By dovetailing one's ambitions and affections in the service of Kṛṣṇa, the "iron" of material lust is transmuted into the "gold" of spiritual love.
- The Nature of Material Attraction: The fundamental principle of material life is the mutual attraction between man and woman. For a man, this is often manifested as a captivating lust invoked by the physical features of women, which serves to bind him to the material struggle.
- The Insatiability of Material Ambition: Whether it is the pursuit of money or sense gratification, material desires have no limit. A poor man wants thousands, a rich man wants millions, and this constant hankering creates a condition of perpetual dissatisfaction and anxiety.
- The Misery of Old Age: A profound insight in this category is the persistence of desire despite physical decline. Even when the senses are no longer capable of enjoyment due to old age, the mind remains agitated by unfulfilled desires, causing intense suffering.
- Transformation from Iron to Gold: Desire cannot be killed, as it is a symptom of life. The path of perfection is to purify these desires. Just as iron differs from gold, the lusty desires of a materialist differ from the transcendental desires of a devotee; the former seeks self-satisfaction, while the latter seeks to satisfy Kṛṣṇa.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Transforming the Lusty Desires of Men.
Pages in category "Desires of Men"
The following 54 pages are in this category, out of 54 total.
A
- A man should not desire to become a father and the woman should not desire to become a mother unless both of them have taken the vow that - I shall beget a child and stop his cycle of birth and death
- A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires - that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still - can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires
- A poor man may desire to have a thousand dollars in the bank, but a rich man who has millions has no such desire. If Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, why should He have desires
- A poverty-stricken man, by association with saintly persons, very soon becomes uninterested in material desires, and the dirty things within the core of his heart are cleansed away - SB 10.10.17
- A sane and sensible man never desires to work hard under the conditions of threefold miseries, only to die in disappointment
- A woman first attracts a man to fulfill his sexual desires by the beautiful features of her face, by the beautiful slope of her breasts and also by her waist
- Although he (the family man) will not be able to see how the procession goes, he still desires that his body be taken gorgeously in procession. Thus he is happy without even knowing where he has to go when he leaves his body for the next life
- Although such men (who have reached more than eighty years of age still go to nightclubs and pay heavy fees to drink wine and associate with women) are too old to enjoy anything, their desires have not ceased
- Any person seriously inclined to hear about the pastimes of Krsna's rasa dance, with great faith and a transcendental, spiritually inspired mind, is immediately freed from the natural lusty desires found within the heart of a materialistic man
- Any woman who seeks a material husband for her protection, or any man who desires to become the husband of a woman, is under illusion
- As both parties (a handsome man and a beautiful woman) move their eyebrows and glance at one another, their lusty desires increase more and more
- As husband & wife, a man & woman plan together to attain happiness & decrease unhappiness, working jointly in many ways, but because their activities are full of desires, these activities are never a source of happiness, and they never diminish distress
F
- Foolish people do not know that a physician cannot prolong life even for a moment. When the notice is there, there is no consideration of the man's desire. The laws of nature do not allow a second beyond what one is destined to enjoy. BG 1972 purports
- For the common man he fulfills all desires, and because of their engagement in thinking of his lotus feet, he also blesses higher personalities who are seeking after brahmananda (transcendental bliss)
H
- Here in this material world there is no love because the man and woman, they have no idea that "I mix with the man, the man who satisfies desires with me." No. "I will satisfy my desires." This is the basic principle
- How a devotee in the form of a man can desire to become a gopi is stated in the Padma Purana
I
- If one desires to be a greatly learned man he should worship Lord Siva
- In old age the senses lose their strength, and although an old man desires to enjoy his senses, and especially sex life, he is very miserable because his instruments of enjoyment no longer function
- In prison a man may want to improve his condition to become a first class prisoner, and the government may give him A-status, but no sane man will become satisfied by becoming an A-class prisoner. He should desire to get out of the prison altogether
- In that pitiable condition the dying man wants to speak with them (his relatives) and instruct them of his desires, but because he is fully under the control of the time factor, death, he cannot express himself, and that causes him inconceivable pain
- In the Caitanya-caritamrta the lusty desire of the gopis is compared to gold. The lusty desires of a materialistic man, on the other hand, are compared to iron. At no stage can iron and gold be equated
- It is said that when a man desires to quit his body he dresses in saffron garments. Therefore it appears that Sati changed her dress, indicating that she was going to quit the body given her by Daksa
M
- Man is suffering due to his insatiable desires and lusts. Not only is man suffering, but the planet on which he resides, his mother earth, represented in Srimad-Bhagavatam by mother cow, is also suffering
- Men absorbed in desire and lust are called asuras, and they are always chasing after women and money
O
- Of these three classes of men, one tries to be happy by fulfillment of material desires, another wants to be happy by becoming one with the Supreme, and another, the perfect man, is a devotee
- One cannot compare the lusty desires of a materialistic man to the transcendental lusty desires of Krsna
- One who desires to engage all these (his vital energy, his wealth, his intelligence and his words) in the service of the Lord, no matter how he is situated, is to be considered a liberated soul, or satya-drk. Such a man has understood things as they are
T
- The attitude of a married man who desires another wife or a wife who desires another husband is called parakiya-rasa
- The Blessed Lord said: O Partha, when a man gives up all varieties of sense desire which arise from mental concoction, and when his mind finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure transcendental consciousness. BG 2.55 - 1972
- The demoniac man knows no limit to his desire to acquire money. That is unlimited. BG 1972 purports
- The important man is quite confident that because he has told his secretary, his desires will be carried out. The secretary is a person, energy - sakti
- The latest desire man has developed is the desire to travel to other planets. This is also quite natural, because he has the constitutional right to go to any part of the material or spiritual skies
- The man is thinking that "Mixing with this woman, I'll satisfy my sense desire," and woman is thinking that "By mixing with this man, I shall satisfy my desire"
- The so-called man of the renounced order, who has left his house and wife, goes to hell if he again desires sexual pleasure, knowingly or unknowingly. In that way the householders are on the side of safety
- The woman's name is kamini. Kamini...Kama means lust. So they invoke one's lust. Therefore by nature, women are beautiful, they dress themselves beautifully. This is nature, to invoke the lusty desire of man
- The word kamini is significant in this connection. Women, especially beautiful young women, invoke the dormant lusty desires of a man
- Time deteriorates even the body itself, which is the medium for all sensual satisfaction, but even when a man becomes old and invalid, his desires are strong enough to dictate that he go here and there to satisfy the desires of his senses
W
- We understand that the desires for sexual satisfaction are meant for the arvak, the lowest among men. To rectify these rascals and fools is very difficult. After all, the sex desires of the common man are condemned in these verses - in SB 4.29.14
- When a man gives up all varieties of desire for sense gratification, which arise from mental concoction, and when his mind, thus purified, finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure transcendental consciousness
- When a man looks upon a woman with lusty desires, he is captivated by her face, her breasts and her waist
- When a man looks upon a woman with lusty desires, he is captivated by her face, her breasts and her waist, for a woman first attracts a man to fulfill his sexual desires by the beautiful features of her face, by the slope of her breasts and by her waist
- When a man or woman is afflicted by the lust of sex desire, it is to be understood as sinful contamination
- When a man remains in a solitary place with a woman, his sexual desires undoubtedly increase
- When a man's lusty desire is very strong, he commits, what is called, rape, & he becomes complicated in criminal activities. Kama esa krodha esa rajo-guna-samudbhavah (BG 3.37). Why one is forced to do that? The cause is lusty desires, anger, greediness
- When Krsna reached her (Kubja's) house, He saw that it was completely decorated in a way to excite the lusty desires of a man. This suggests that there were many nude pictures, on top of which were canopies and flags embroidered with pearl necklaces
- When the poor man dovetails his desires with those of the rich man and when there is cooperation between the poor man and the rich man, or between the big and the small man, then the enjoyment is shared equally. That is like bhakti-yoga
- Who can become desireless? It is not possible. If I am desireless, then I am a dead man. A dead man has no desire. So that is not possible. We have to purify the desires
- Women, especially beautiful young women, invoke the dormant lusty desires of a man