Text 16
yā dustyajā durmatibhir
jīryato yā na jīryate
tāṁ tṛṣṇāṁ duḥkha-nivahāṁ
śarma-kāmo drutaṁ tyajet
yā — that which; dustyajā — extremely difficult to give up; durmatibhiḥ — by persons too attached to material enjoyment; jīryataḥ — even by one who is an invalid because of old age; yā — that which; na — not; jīryate — is vanquished; tām — such; tṛṣṇām — desire; duḥkha-nivahām — which is the cause of all tribulations; śarma-kāmaḥ — a person desiring his own happiness; drutam — very soon; tyajet — should give up.
For those who are too attached to material enjoyment, sense gratification is very difficult to give up. Even when one is an invalid because of old age, one cannot give up such desires for sense gratification. Therefore, one who actually desires happiness must give up such unsatisfied desires, which are the cause of all tribulations.
We have actually seen, especially in the Western countries, that men who have reached more than eighty years of age still go to nightclubs and pay heavy fees to drink wine and associate with women. Although such men are too old to enjoy anything, their desires have not ceased. Time deteriorates even the body itself, which is the medium for all sensual satisfaction, but even when a man becomes old and invalid, his desires are strong enough to dictate that he go here and there to satisfy the desires of his senses. Therefore, by the practice of bhakti-yoga, one should give up his lusty desires. As explained by Śrī Yāmunācārya:
yadavadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-pādāravinde
nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt
tadavadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne
bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭhu-niṣṭhīvanaṁ ca
When one is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he gets more and more happiness by discharging duties for Kṛṣṇa. Such a person spits on sense gratification, especially that of sexual enjoyment. An experienced, advanced devotee is no longer interested in sex life. The strong desire for sex can be subdued only by advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.