Sexuality Is a Trap

After calling the bluff of many things that we consider important in life, in the Vairagya-prakarana of Yoga Vasishta, proceeds to sexuality.

As Shankaracharya says in Bhaja Govindam –
नारीस्तनभरनाभीदेशं दृष्ट्वा मा गा मोहावेशम् | एतन्मांसवसादिविकारं मनसि विचिन्तय वारं वारम्

Don't get excited seeing the bosom of a woman.
What is it?
Just flesh and fat.
Think about this again and again.

This may sound a little graphic.
A beautiful eye —
Pluck it out, start dissecting.
Keep them on the table: pupil, cornea, lens, retina.
As you do this, the liquid will ooze out, spill.
Blood will ooze out.

Does it look beautiful anymore?
Does any of these look beautiful anymore?
Unless you are a surgeon or an OT assistant,
Will you even be able to touch them
Without nausea coming to you?

Beauty is only this much.
Beauty is only skin deep.

This beauty is what we glorify through poems.
This beauty is what we get excited about.
Other than these disgusting parts, what is there in the eye?
What is the body?
Some flesh, some bones, some blood,
Some hair — all assembled together.
And ultimately where is it going?
To succumb to fire, in the cremation ground.
It is not going to be kept in a museum
For the generations to come to look at it in awe
And say, 'Oh, what a beauty.'

Even the body when it is preserved, like the Egyptian mummies —
Does it look beautiful anymore?
It is disgusting.

That bosom which is lavishly decorated with garlands, chains, necklaces
Of pearls and diamonds and gems —
This is where it is going to end up, in the cremation ground, in some time.

Perfumes, expensive clothes,
Grooming, haircut, six-pack —
It is going to end up in the same cremation ground
Where every dead body goes —
Even that of a beggar or a mad man roaming around in the streets.

Even a donkey's body is made of the same components —
Blood, flesh, fat, skin, bones.
What is so admirable about the human body?

Over generations of conditioning, our minds are trained to think
That the body is attractive.
Only fools will accept this.
This is a mass mental conditioning
Which we have fallen prey to.

Before the poets started calling the eyes beautiful, the lips beautiful —
Did we ever think like this?
A monkey also has lips, which look more or less the same.
Do we find them beautiful?

Do animals unite appreciating the beauty of the partner?
Do they get excited about the beauty of the partner?
In animals, union happens through mechanisms such as pheromones.

We have the whole entertainment industry running mostly
Based on this false notion of beauty, attractiveness —
With a turnover of billions.

Liquor and lust both lead to violence and troubles.
The only difference between the two is that
The lustful person is himself or herself excited,
Whereas the liquor is just inert.
Both cause the same impact.

Someone who is under the control of sexual urges —
He will never reform, irrespective of practising severe austerities.

Fire looks beautiful and brilliant.
But if you touch it...
Those who get addicted to sexual urges —
It is the same fate for them.

Sexuality is a nest cast to catch the weak-minded,
Fickle-minded.
Sexuality is a trap, an enslavement
Which is very, very difficult to come out of.

All these — what you get attracted to, what excites you —
What is it? A bit more of flesh somewhere,
A bit less of flesh somewhere,
The facial features, a bulge of bone.
What else are they?

What is there in the body
Other than the five bhutas — pancha bhutas?

Asks Lord Rama.

• Human attraction to beauty is conditioned, not natural; we’re taught to find body parts appealing, but they're just functional assemblies of flesh and fluids.

• Physical beauty is shallow and temporary. Under the skin lies a mix of organs, bones, blood, and waste — nothing inherently admirable.

• Organs like the eye, when removed and examined, lose all charm. What once looked attractive becomes revolting when seen without filters.

• Despite the glamorous presentation of bodies, all of them — rich or poor — end up the same way: burnt in cremation grounds, decomposed, forgotten.

• Society has glorified sexuality through poetry, media, and tradition, creating an illusion of worth around flesh that is no different from that of animals.

• Animals mate due to instinct and pheromones. Humans have layered sexuality with romanticism and obsession, but the core remains primal.

• The beauty industry, entertainment, and even social validation thrive on this illusion, exploiting it for profit and attention.

• Lust is addictive like alcohol — both cloud judgment, lead to trouble, and reduce personal control. The only difference is that one is inert, and the other is internally triggered.

• Sexual obsession weakens mental clarity. Even if someone practices great austerities, if lust remains, it hijacks discipline and growth.

• Sexuality acts like a trap designed to enslave the weak-minded. It's difficult to escape because it's pleasurable yet degrading.

• Aesthetic preferences often boil down to arbitrary flesh distributions — a little more or less fat, skin tone, or bone structure — not something meaningful or eternal.

• In essence, the human body is just a collection of the five bhutas (elements): earth, water, fire, air, and space. Nothing more, nothing sacred unless misperceived.

What makes us find certain body parts beautiful?
Our minds are conditioned to associate certain features with beauty. This conditioning comes from culture, media, and social influence, not inherent truth.

Why do we admire features like eyes or lips?
Because society keeps repeating that they're beautiful. If poets never glorified them, we wouldn't notice them as special.

Isn't beauty natural and instinctive?
No, it's learned. We don’t admire a monkey’s lips even though they’re structurally similar to human ones. That shows it’s mental bias, not universal instinct.

Why is beauty said to be only skin deep?
Because what lies beneath is just biological matter — organs, fluids, tissues. Once exposed, it loses all aesthetic value.

Can something so fragile really deserve our obsession?
Once you see how easily the illusion breaks — like dissecting an eye — the spell wears off. It's the surface we get trapped by.

But don’t people look beautiful even in photos or videos?
That’s presentation, not reality. The moment you remove the skin or expose the inside, beauty becomes repulsion. It’s a thin mask.

Where does every body end up?
No matter how well-groomed or decorated, every body is burnt or buried. Death strips away all physical appeal.

Is there any real value in physical grooming then?
Grooming serves short-term social functions, but it has no lasting value. The end is the same for kings and beggars alike.

But mummies are preserved — don’t they stay beautiful?
Preserved bodies, like Egyptian mummies, are not beautiful. They’re eerie and lifeless. Time turns all flesh into waste.

Why is sexuality called a trap?
Because it captures attention using shallow triggers, keeping minds enslaved in craving and fantasy, with no real fulfillment.

Why do people struggle to break free from sexual obsession?
Because it's tied to pleasure and identity. The mind clings to it, thinking it's essential, even though it's destructive.

Isn’t sexuality natural and necessary?
It may be biological, but the obsession with it isn't. Nature uses it for reproduction, not for mental slavery. The trap is mental, not physical.

How is lust similar to alcohol?
Both cloud judgment, cause harm, and make people act impulsively. The only difference is one is consumed, and the other arises internally.

Can lust be managed like a bad habit?
Yes, but it requires clarity and self-discipline. Left unchecked, it pulls the mind into chaos like any other addiction.

But isn’t sexual desire a natural drive?
Natural doesn’t mean harmless. Fire is natural too, but if you touch it, it burns. Same with unrestrained lust — it damages.

Why does society celebrate physical beauty so much?
Because it sells. Entertainment and fashion industries fuel the illusion of attraction to profit from it.

How does this illusion affect ordinary people?
It creates unrealistic standards, constant comparison, and dissatisfaction. People chase a mirage shaped by ads and screens.

Isn’t the admiration of beauty harmless?
Not if it controls your thoughts, decisions, and values. When beauty becomes obsession, it stops being harmless — it becomes bondage.

What is the body made of at its core?
Earth, water, fire, air, and space — the five bhutas. Everything else is form and illusion.

Why remember the body is made of bhutas?
To stop getting trapped by the illusion of permanence and charm. It helps detach from surface-level attraction.

Isn’t it disrespectful to see the body as just elements?
It's realistic. Respect comes from understanding what things truly are — not from glorifying illusions.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi