How many times have we heard of a famous saint or a well-known mystic falling from grace ? This malady is so widespread today that the common man is sceptical about saintly persons as a whole. Most people are not surprised when the rich, the famous, the beautiful, and the powerful display variant behaviour ; but any transgression, especially in matters of sex by the religious class, is totally unacceptable. These people know better by their training and superior knowledge and they have no excuse for indulging in illicit behaviour. Why do they succumb to gross sense pleasures ?

The answer can be traced to their changed circumstances. Once someone reaches a certain level of perfection, his position becomes privileged ; that is, the rewards are commensurate with the efforts made. For example, a successful mystic attains power of control over others ; he then must exercise greater control over himself by not being tempted. Privileged position and mystic powers are tempting and few people can resist their misuse. Human body always has demands of eating, sleeping, mating and defending, as long as it exists and one must be very aware of this fact to prevent such demands from obscuring one's better judgment.

This can be understood from an exchange between Akbar and Birbal. Akbar inquired from Birbal as to how long did the urge for sex last. Birbal replied, "Till the end of one's life". Akbar did not believe this since he felt that with the bodily faculties weakening, such urges must also weaken. Birbal promised to prove his point. One day, Birbal asked Akbar and the young princess to accompany him to meet a dying person. The dying person kept his gaze mostly on the princess while talking to the king.

No one is above bodily temptations. In Vedic history, Rishi Vishwamitra was a great saintly person, but he too fell to the charms of the celestial beauty, Menaka. Bodily urges always exist ; they need to be curbed but cannot be eliminated. So, even a saintly or a knowledgeable person needs to exercise extreme caution. A very famous illustration of such caution has been displayed in the temple of Lord Badri Narayan in Badrinath. The deity of Laxmi has been located outside the temple room to set an example for staying at some distance from potential temptations.

A successful person in any field has more opportunities. Also, he is not burdened with the problems of keeping the body and soul together. These factors, together, often induce a feeling of false sense of security and a person feels he can get away with indiscretions. The privileged position and the perks which go with it are a heady mixture. Such a person must choose between the higher pleasure and the baser ones. One cannot have both. If one still pursues lower pleasures, his fall from grace is destined. This is especially true for the persons in the spiritual field. Higher knowledge is not an insurance against a downfall since the senses, if not kept under control, can easily subdue one's intelligence. Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad-Geeta : “The senses are so strong and impetuous , O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavouring to control them" (2.60).

How can a saintly person protect himself from such degradation ? One, such a person should keep as much distance from sense objects as practically possible. Two, his life must be an open book. He should keep little or no secrets from relatives, friends and disciples, since secrecy provides an opportunity for licentious behaviour. Three, one should keep working for higher pleasures which are spiritual in nature. These pleasures are derived by interaction at the soul level. Continued enjoyment of such pleasures is an insurance against getting tempted towards sensuous pleasures - the lower pleasures. We learn from Lord Krishna : “The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness" (2.59).

In the material world, nothing comes easy ; one needs to work hard to get to a superior position and has to work harder to retain it and advance further. One cannot ride in two boats at the same time.