Lust stands out as a prominent leader of all the bad qualities. The other three, that is,anger, greed and attachment follow this leader and do things which are dictated by him. In fact, Kama, the God of lust is responsible for our birth and Kaala, the God of time is responsible for our death. Rama is responsible for our life and all the good therein. (SSB 1973, p. 180)

It was lust that caused the downfall of Ravana, the one of great penance and the master of 64 types of knowledge. He not only ruined himself but his whole kingdom. Without purity of heart all the spiritual practices are of no use. That is why Thiruthonda Alvar said, ‘Oh! Lord, I worship You not with flowers, but with purity of heart.’ So, purity of heart is very essential for man. (SSS Vol.31, pp. 396-397)

Gambling is not good at all. Similarly, drinking leads to loss of control over oneself. Under the influence of liquor, a drunken man may speak anything. Later on, he will repent after coming back to his normal senses. Lust and anger are the demonic qualities. Never allow them to come near you. In a fit of anger, we may say anything without considering its consequences. But after a few minutes, when we come to our normal mood, we will feel sorry, ‘Alas! Why did I abuse like this?’ Therefore, first and foremost, kill the anger. Rama killed many demons and demonesses in the forest because of their evil qualities of lust and anger. Whoever one may be, whether a male or a female, if he or she has evil qualities of lust and anger, they should be punished. Anger and lust are very bad for man. (SSS Vol. 41, p. 74)

The quality of lust has no satisfaction under any circumstances. The quality of lust has been compared with fire. Fire has also another name called Anala. Anala means something which has no sufficiency at any time and which is insatiable. The meaning of this is, however much you say may experience and enjoy, there is o satisfaction. You will always want more and more. As you put more and more fuel into the fire, the fire goes on increasing. The fire can never be extinguished by adding fuel. In the same manner by your trying to satisfy your desires, the desire will go on increasing. They will never decrease by satisfaction and appeasement. Without submitting to this kind of lust Hanuman earned the grace of Rama. (SSB 1977, p. 103)

So long as the material desires lurk in you, your affection will be considered a lust. True and pure love will manifest itself when lust is withdrawn from your affection. This type of love will be expanding, since it will be selfless. The contracting type of love is based on selfishness. You can cultivate pure love by remaining in good company and by putting into practice directions of our Vedas and Upanishads. You should consider your intelligence like a mirror and try to keep it clean. The true nature of yourself as a man can be seen only in the mirror of your intelligence. It is only when you regard this entire world as your own house and regard everything in your house as your own that you can give a shape to your prema so as to make it expanding prema. (SSB 1973, p. 219)