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Hare Krsna

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Madana, or Cupid means sex attraction and Krishna is called Madana-mohana. One can neglect even sex attraction if one is attracted to Krishna. Madana is attracting in this material world – everyone is attracted by sex life. The whole material world exists on sex life. This is the fact. Yan maithunādi-grhamedhi-suhkham hi tuccham. Here, the so-called happiness – is maithuna, or sex. Here happiness begins from sexual intercourse. Generally, when a man marries, the purpose is to satisfy the sex desire. Then he begets children. Then again, when the children are grown up, the daughter is married with another boy and the boy is married with another girl. That is also for the same purpose: sex. Then again, grandchildren. In this way, this material happiness is śriyaiśvarya-prajepsavah.Śrī means beauty, aiśvarya means wealth, and prajā means generation. So generally, people, they like it—good family, good bank balance and good wife, good daughter, daughter-in-law. If one’s family consists of beautiful women and riches and many children, he is supposed to be successful. So śāstra says, “What is this success? This success is beginning with sex intercourse. That’s all. And maintaining it.”

We may polish sex life in different ways, but this happiness of sex life is available even to the hogs. The hogs are eating whole day, here and there: “Where is stool? Where is stool?” and having sex life without any discrimination. The hogs do not discriminate between mother, sister or daughter. So therefore śāstra says, “We are entangled and encaged in this material world only for this sex life.” That is Cupid, the god of sex life –Madana. Unless one is induced by Madana, or Cupid, he cannot be engladdened in sex life. And Krishna’s name is Mādana-mohana.

Mādana-mohana means that one who is attracted to Krishna, will forget the pleasure derived from sex life. This is the test. Therefore His name is Mādana-mohana. Sanātana Gosvāmī worshiped Madana-mohana. Mādana means to become mad and Madana means Cupid.

So everyone is infuriated by the force of sex life. In Bhāgavatam it is said,pumsah striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam tayor mitho hrdaya-granthim āhur. The whole material world is going on due to sex attraction; the man is attracted by woman and the woman is attracted by man. And, seeking this attraction, when they are united, their attachment for this material world becomes more and more tight. And in this way, after being united, or after being married, the couple seeks a nice home (grha) and a business, factory, or agricultural field (ksetra), in order to earn money. Then they seek children (suta), friends (āpta) and wealth (vitta)… Atah grha-ksetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho ‘yam [SB 5.5.8].

Thus the attraction for this material world becomes more and more tight. This is called attraction by madana. But our business is not to be attracted by the glimmer of this material world, but to be attracted by Krishna. That is Krishna consciousness movement. Unless we become attracted by the beauty of Krishna, we have to be satisfied by the false beauty of this material world. Therefore Śrī Yamunācārya said that yadāvadhi mama cetah krishna-padāravindayor nava-nava-dhāmany udyatam rantum āsīt: “So long I have been attracted by the beauty of Krishna and I have begun to serve at His lotus feet, I am getting newer and newer energy. Since then, as soon as I think of sex intercourse, I want to spit on it.” That is vitrsnā, no more attraction. The central point of attraction of this material world is sex life.

“As soon as I think of sex intercourse, immediately my mouth becomes turned aside and I want to spit on it.” So therefore Krishna is Madana-mohana. Madana, or sex life is attracting everyone, and when one is attracted by Krishna, thenMadana also becomes defeated. So as soon as Madana becomes defeated, we conquer over this material world. Otherwise it is very difficult. Daivī hy esā gunamayī mama māyā duratyayā [Bg. 7.14]. Duratyayā means very, very difficult. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etām taranti. But if anyone surrenders unto Krishna, catches His lotus feet very strongly, “Krishna, save me,” then Krishna promises, “Yes, I’ll save you.” Aham tvām sarva-pāpebhyo moksayisyāmi mā śucah [Bg. 18.66]. “Don’t worry. I shall save you.” Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktah pranaśyati [Bg. 9.31]. “My dear Arjuna, you can declare to the world that My devotee, pure devotee, anyābhilāsitā-śünyam[Brs. 1.1.11], who has no other desire, will be protected by Me.”

[An excerpt from a lecture on The Nectar of Devotion delivered in Vrindavana on November 11, 1972]