Is lust the most powerful among the shada ripus?

Question

EXPLANATION :

• As lust is one of the desires of living beings and seems to be avoidable at high concentration.
• The other desires of shada ripus are seems to be less difficult(my opinion)
• We can see many people in our yuga who had overcome most of the desires fall in trap of kama deva.
  EXAMPLE :
• Ravan and Vali were slain for his lust towards other man's wife.
• Mahabharatha war was brought for disroping draupadi commited by duryodhana's brother because of lust .
  

QUESTION :

• Why many of them fall in this desire is it more powerful than other desires of shada ripus?

• What are the ways said in our scriputre to overcome this desire ?

  _{Answers with practical examples are needed}

Answer 1

I assume that you are here asking only about sexual desire as lust not about other forms of desires.

According to Ayurveda lust(sexual desire) is one of the natural four-fold human desires:

Sarire JAyayate Nityam VAnchah NrinAm ChaturvidhAHa | Vubhuksha Cha PipAsA SusupsA Cha RatisprihA ||

Daily these four-fold desires are born in a human body-hunger,thirst,desire for sleep and desire for sex(RatisprihA)

BhAv Prakash

In Niruttara Tantram it is even said that the pleasure that is obtained in a sexual congress is so intense that it can be compared to the supreme bliss.

Stree Pumso Samgame Saukham JAyate Tath Param Padam (Niruttara Tantram,Chapter 6)

The happiness that arises in sexual congress is(like) Paramapadam (i.e supreme bliss).

This makes it clear why lust is so powerful a distraction & that's also why even the Mahamunis often fall prey to it.The remaining Shadripus are neither as powerful nor they are natural human inclinations like lust.

The Manu Smriti too warns us about the power of lust in the following verse:

2.215. One should not sit in a lonely place with one’s mother, sister, or daughter; for the senses are powerful, and master even a learned man.

So,lust is indeed the most powerful enemy among the Shadripus.

And,Yoga is a tested method by which one can win over it.

Answer 2

Yes Kama is greatest enemy amongst the Six enemy’s (Shada Ripus).

More appropriate version of Lust is Kama or Deisre. Lust is sexual Desire while kama is generalized form of desire, Kama is most powerful amongst Shad ripus.

Arjuna asked a similar question to Krishna, following is the enquiry about the force which leads jiva to do sinful acts (as if forced to do it)

आर्जुन उवाच: अथ केन प्रयुक्तोयम् पापम् चरति पुरुष: ।

अनिछ्न्नबपि वार्ष्णेय बलादिव नियोजित​: ॥३.३६॥

Arjuna said: O descendant of Vrishni, by what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force? BG 3.36

And Krishna Answers it in next verse

शरि भगवान उवाच​: काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुण समुद्भव​।

महाशनो महापाप्मा विध्येन मिह वैरिणम् ॥३.३७॥

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world. BG 3.37

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Kama can be defeated in two ways

1) by Controlling Food habits (Easier) Avoiding these food items will remove rajas (as much as possible)

कट्वम्ललवणात्युष्णतीक्ष्णरूक्षविदाहिनः।
आहारा राजसस्येष्टा दुःखशोकामयप्रदाः।।17.9।।

Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning are dear to those in the mode of passion. Such foods cause distress, misery and disease. BG 17.9

2) by Becoming Atmajnani

एवम् बुद्धे: परम्बुद्ध्वा संस्तभ्यात्मान आत्मना॥ जहि शत्रुम् माहाबाहो कामरुपम् दुरासदम् ॥३.४३॥

Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to the material senses, mind and intelligence, O mighty-armed Arjuna, one should steady the mind by deliberate spiritual intelligence [Krishna consciousness] and thus—by spiritual strength—conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust. BG 3.43