The three modes of material nature have their effects. The three modes of nature as described in Vedic Scriptures (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14) and exalted saints are Mode of Goodness, Mode of Passion and Mode of Ignorance.
Through Mode of Passion, lust and desire are born. Desire and lust due to lack of knowledge is ashudh aham (false ego).
Two Kinds of Ego
- Shudh aham (Pure or Real Ego, also called as cit-abhiman) - With this ego, one recognises oneself as an eternal servant of Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna (in one of 5 rasas).
- Ashudh aham (False Ego) - With this false ego, one recognises themself as a material body who is independent.
The lust and desire are born out of ashudh aham through the mode of passion.
What impels one to do sinful activities?
The desire and lust manifest in the form of enjoying materially. Krishna says to Arjuna in Chapter 3 Text 36-43 of Bhagavad Gita that this lust and desire to enjoy the material nature is what makes the jiva tattva do bad activities even if they don’t want to do it.
Krishna tells to Arjuna that this desire and lust (kama) is like hunger which can never be fulfilled. The more you provide the facilities to fulfil your desire and enjoy, the more and more it wants.
Krishna advises Arjuna to straightaway kill this enemy of lust by taking to devotional service.
One commits unwarranted sinful activities because of this lust. We can be freed from these vasana (desire and lust) only when the propensity to enjoy is finished. When we get higher pleasure then only this false pleasure is finished. When sukh (happiness) and dukh (distress) both become unimportant, then enters transcendental pleasure (devotional service) in the picture.
Chant Hare Krishna maha-mantra and follow the instructions of bonafide guru shishya parampara. You can read How should beginner's approach spirituality to gain further direction if you are a sincere seeker.
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If one chants Hare Krishna maha-mantra sincerely and with a simple heart, then Krishna gives the seeker all the knowledge to help them advance even without the seeker endeavouring for any such knowledge! Once that happens, the seeker transcends the material world. Even being here, they are always fixed in meditation unto inner and true spiritual consciousness of their eternal constitutional position.
The root cause of lust and how to transcend it?
The root cause of all the sinful activities lies in the fact that we consider ourself as a body rather than an eternal soul.
The day this assumed conception of us being this material body is removed, then manifests the real identity of our soul as an eternal part of Krishna in one of 5 rasas.
Even if we have read the Vedic Texts, it's very difficult to believe internally that we are not this body but the soul. But when Krishna or Rasika Acharyas give this knowledge via kripa (mercy), then the identification with the body is removed easily.
Then, you don’t have to put intelligence to think that you are not this panchbhautik (made of five elements) body, but the satchidananda soul.
Then, this process is natural. The kripa of Krishna makes the devotee be fixed in their original state of satchidanada as part and parcel (in different bhav as per individual mood) of Krishna.
And when the true identity of soul (swarup) manifests in the heart by kripa (mercy) of Rasika Acharyas and Divine Couple Sri Radha and Sri Krishna, then all the vikar (negative qualities and sinful propensity) of this body easily gets transcended.
Now the devotee doesn't recognise oneself as a body but as an eternal soul. The devotee comes to the state of thinking that "I am Radharani’s and Radharani is mine." (Read this innermost confidential secret to advance spiritually)
Even though the body is there, the apparent action as an instrument of Lord is there, but now there is no more false ego. Say, for example, you see the snake, but there are no teeth of venom now.
So, the false ego which was there in us (of being male or a female body) is removed. Now, the pure ego of being an eternal servant of Krishna sprouts in the heart.
The vikar were residing in the false ego. Now when this false ego only gets over, the devotee becomes established in swarup (original constitutional position). And then no bad qualities of the material world can touch the devotee. They now are no more fallen conditioned souls, but acquire and become decorated with all qualities of Rasika Vaishnavas by kripa of Divine Couple and Guru Tattva.
Jai Jai Shri Radhe!
Hare Krishna!