How Shiva Overcame Lust? The True Story Behind How Shiva Destroyed His Lust?

When we say Shiva, the word shiva has become synonymous with the third eye. These two eyes that everyone has, enable us to show the physicality of existence. It means these two eyes can only see what is physical, but the third eye is meant to look inward, that is, it is not going to open on your forehead, rather it is an inward-focused eye. But you must have heard many stories that Shiva opened his third eye and burnt Kamadeva. 

In India, the god of love and lust is the "Kama" or "Kamadeva", Kama means lust, which you do not want to face directly, so you give it the name of love. So according to the story, Kama hides behind a tree and shoots an arrow at Shiva's heart. The arrow hits Shiva and he gets a little disturbed and then he sees that it's Kama, that is, his own lust is emerging inside him. In return, shiva opened his third eye, the fiery eye, and burnt Kama, who was hidden behind the tree and burned into ashes. Then Shiva applied the ashes of this burnt Kama on his body as if he had put an end to this lust forever. This is the most prevalent story narrated among the people. 

But now the question is whether lust arises within you or behind the tree. Of course, it arises within you, as desire is not hanging outside. It is not because a beautiful woman or a handsome man is sitting there, causing your desire to come. Now because kama or lust is within you, Shiva opened his third eye and burned the kama within himself, not the one who was standing outside behind the tree. Because he never, ever, stood outside. Your lustfulness and desiring nature never stood outside, it only stood inside. That's why Shiva opened his third eye inwards not outwards. And then he saw this lustfulness, which actually means there's something inside you that makes you feel incomplete. So you think you'll be fulfilled only by going towards something or somebody. But lust is not only about the opposite sex, shopping is also a kind of lust because you have to go after something to make yourself complete.

In reality, every desire is lust because without it one cannot exist. I want that because only when I have that, then this will be complete. It can be anything like a position, power, or sexuality. It doesn't matter what it is. And when Shiva burnt the Kama inside himself, instead of sweat, ashes came out from the pores of his body. This is the yogic story. But according to the story that has been told to the people is that the Kama was hiding behind a tree and Shiva opened his third eye and burnt it. And then took that ashes and put it on himself.