07:09

How Shiva Overcame Lust

by Sadhguru Jaggi

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talks
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Meditation
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Sadhguru explains the symbolism of Shiva’s third eye and narrates a story related to how Shiva burnt Kama with his third eye. Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serve as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times.

ShivaLustThird EyeTransformationDeathIncompletenessYogaConsciousnessInner TransformationYogic PhilosophyKalabhairava ConsciousnessMysticismSpiritual MastersThird Eye Meditations

Transcript

These two eyes can only perceive that which is physical.

The third eye is an inward focused eye.

Your lustfulness,

Your desiring nature never ever stood outside,

It only stood inside.

Lust means it creates a sense of incompleteness within you and a longing for something.

When we say Shiva,

The word Shiva has become synonymous with the third eye.

The third eye,

What it means is these two eyes are to look outside.

These two eyes are capable of showing you the physicality of the existence.

These two eyes can only perceive that which is physical.

The third eye is an inward focused eye.

It's not going to open up upon your forehead.

The third eye is an inward looking eye.

But you have heard stories Shiva opened his eyes and he burnt karma.

In India,

There is a god of love and lust called Kama.

Kama means lust,

Which you don't like to face it head on,

So you make it love.

Because you need some aesthetic to it.

So he hides behind a tree and shoots an arrow at Shiva's heart.

Tucket hits him and Shiva gets little disturbed.

Then he sees it's Kama.

That is his own lust coming up.

Then he opened up his third eye,

A fiery eye and burnt Kama.

He was hiding behind a tree but he was burnt into ashes.

Then Shiva took the ashes of this burnt Kama and smeared himself.

That I have put these things to rest for good.

That is the general story told to the people.

But you tell me,

Your lust arises within you or behind the tree?

No,

You may go behind the tree,

That's another matter.

But where does it arise?

Within you.

Desire is not hanging outside.

It is not because a beautiful woman or a beautiful man is sitting there,

Your desire comes.

Because the desire,

The Kama is within you.

So he opened his third eye and burnt the Kama within himself,

Not the one who is standing outside.

Because he never ever stood outside.

Please look at this and see.

Your lustfulness,

Your desiring nature never ever stood outside,

It only stood inside.

So he opened his third eye,

Not this way,

Inward.

Then he saw this lustfulness,

Which essentially means that some aspects are built into you,

Which makes you feel incomplete.

So you think you will find completion only by going towards something or somebody.

Lust is not just about opposite sex.

Stopping is lust,

Because you have to go towards something,

Only then life will be complete.

Every desire is lust,

Because without that I cannot exist.

I want that,

Because only when I have that,

This will be complete.

It may be a thing,

It may be a position,

It may be power,

It may be sexuality,

It doesn't matter what it is.

Only lust means it creates a sense of incompleteness within you and a longing for something that it makes you feel if you don't have that,

You are not complete.

So he decides to burn the Kama within himself.

He burned the Kama and then instead of sweat,

Ash oozed out of the pores of his body.

This is the yogic story.

The common story told to the public is he was hiding behind the tree and he burnt him,

Opened his eyes and burnt him and then he took that ash and smeared himself.

The yogic dimension of the story is Kama arose within him,

He opened his third eye,

Burnt him and then ash slowly oozed out of his body,

Clearly showing him everything is laid to rest.

Everything that you know as yourself should die.

When I say death,

It's not the physical death which is a problem.

The question is losing everything that you know as myself right now,

Your personality,

Your identity.

Once you learn to be an individual beyond physiological and psychological formats,

That means you are for good.

This is what living death means.

So if you know how to be an individual still without physiological and psychological format,

You are a living death.

If you are a living death,

You are eternal in your existence.

It is time that you become living death so that you live eternally.

But there's a certain dimension of consciousness which can go beyond time.

When Yama came to claim his life,

Markandeya who knew the ways of life just did one simple act.

They say he continued to live as a fifteen-year-old because he came in touch with that dimension of consciousness which we refer to as Kalabhairava.

Meet your Teacher

Sadhguru JaggiMcMinnville, TN, USA

4.6 (197)

Recent Reviews

Alex

March 24, 2022

Powerful

Linda

March 13, 2022

Always the best

Patricia

March 24, 2021

✨Simple, yet profound explanation of lust: a feeling of incompleteness within. Only by looking within can we eradicate the desires. This is an inspiring story of Shiva’s tapas. Thank You! 🔥🌊🕉🌺🙏🏽🧘🏻‍♀️

Marianne

July 18, 2020

Very insightful, thank you 🙏🏼

Dianne

February 8, 2020

I am never disappointed. I grow with each lesson. Thank you.

Dianne

February 3, 2020

Just lovely. Thank you

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© 2025 Sadhguru Jaggi. All rights reserved. All copyright in this work remains with the original creator. No part of this material may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

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