Answer
Attraction to the opposite sex is one of the fundamental shackles used by Maya to keep the conditioned soul bound to the bodily concept of life. As long as we identify ourselves as the body, Maya is satisfied because we remain forgetful of our real identity as eternal servants and parts and parcels of Krishna.
A person may sincerely follow the four regulative principles, especially the principle of no illicit sex, and still experience attraction. One should understand that these attractions are often residual impressions and conditionings carried over from many lifetimes. Deep within the subtle body there are long-standing belief structures — subconscious convictions that “this object will give me pleasure,” “this relationship will give me happiness,” or “this person will fulfill me.”
Because of those deeply rooted impressions, the body and mind are designed to react in conditioned ways. This human machine functions through psychological and biochemical triggers. When the mind perceives an object according to previous conditioning, certain reactions arise automatically. Therefore, attraction can sometimes appear forcefully, even when intellectually one understands, “This is temporary; this is Maya.”
A sincere devotee should not become overly disturbed or discouraged by the mere presence of such attraction. One should understand:
“These are residual conditionings stored within the subtle body. They do not represent my true spiritual identity.”
For countless lifetimes we have invested faith in material enjoyment, and naturally those impressions do not disappear overnight. But by sincerely chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, these conditionings gradually weaken.
Why do they weaken? Because genuine realization slowly awakens.
One begins to understand that the material drama of male-female attraction is largely part of the Lord’s illusory arrangement for maintaining conditioned existence. Just as a mother may give a child toy utensils and toy cooking items to keep the child engaged, similarly the material world provides endless temporary fascinations that absorb the conditioned soul in bodily identification.
At the same time, Krishna has also given proper and regulated purposes within material life. Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita that He is sex life which is not contrary to religious principles. Therefore, the devotee gradually learns to see things properly:
not with exploitative consciousness,
but with spiritual understanding.
Then one begins to see:
What is Krishna’s purpose for male and female bodies?
What is the dharmic function of family life?
What is illusion, and what is responsibility?
The body itself is not Maya. Flesh and bones are simply matter. Maya lies in the false interpretation superimposed upon them — the illusion that temporary bodies are sources of ultimate fulfillment, permanent love, or spiritual completion.
By hearing Srimad Bhagavatam and practicing Krishna consciousness, one gradually realizes that much of Maya is internal interpretation. Krishna creates the external triggers, but the conditioned mind builds an entire emotional world around them — attraction, possessiveness, fantasy, hope, attachment, love, hatred, and identification.
Eventually, the devotee becomes exhausted with this repeated cycle and begins to think:
“I have understood this whole story. I no longer want illusion; I want reality.”
As long as those deep belief structures remain within the subtle body, conditioned reactions may continue to arise upon contact with certain objects. Even hope for pleasure itself can create subtle enjoyment within the mind. Therefore people often live not only on actual enjoyment, but on imagined possibilities, fantasies, and emotional expectations.
Gradually, however, one’s perception changes. One begins to see all living beings compassionately — as souls struggling under illusion rather than as objects for enjoyment.
Then real spiritual intelligence awakens:
“If I truly want reality, I cannot continue with the mentality that everything exists for my enjoyment.”
The actual solution is higher attraction.
Krishna is the supreme source of beauty, attraction, sweetness, and love. As one becomes increasingly attracted to Krishna through:
chanting,
hearing,
devotional service,
sadhu-sanga,
and regulated spiritual life,
…the lower attractions naturally lose their force.
It is like someone wandering in darkness being fascinated by the tiny light of a firefly. But when the sun rises or a powerful torch is available, the firefly no longer seems significant.
Similarly, when the heart becomes illuminated by Krishna consciousness, flickering material attractions gradually lose their charm.
Therefore, the process is not merely suppression. The process is replacement through higher taste.
That is why the positive process of Krishna consciousness is so important:
continue chanting sincerely,
continue following the regulative principles,
continue hearing Bhagavatam,
continue serving Krishna,
and gradually become attached to Krishna Himself.
As attachment to Krishna deepens, material attraction becomes neutralized because one realizes there is no lasting pleasure in matter independent of Krishna.
Maya’s attractions are powerful — one should not foolishly underestimate them. The body and mind are designed in such a way that attraction can overpower ordinary intellectual strength. Therefore humility is necessary.
But Krishna consciousness gives a higher attraction, a higher intelligence, and a higher satisfaction. By becoming increasingly absorbed in Krishna, the conditioned fascination with temporary beauty gradually fades away.
