Answer
It is not easy for the Mayavadis. They work extremely hard to maintain brahmacharya—perhaps a hundred times harder—simply through mental effort.
In Krishna consciousness, the process is different. By chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, dancing, honoring prasadam, and engaging in devotional service, one naturally develops the strength to practice brahmacharya.
The Mayavadi approach is to reject everything by saying, "Everything is maya." But complete negation does not work because, in the absolute sense, men, women, beauty, loving relationships, and rasa all truly exist. They exist eternally in the spiritual world in their sat-cit-ananda form.
What we see in this material world is only a temporary, flesh-and-blood imitation of that eternal reality. Trying to enjoy those spiritual rasas through the material body is incompatible with spiritual advancement.
Many people think sex simply means physical activity. In reality, the most dangerous form of sex is mental sex—dwelling on thoughts, fantasies, and subtle attachments.
Gross sex is comparatively easier to control. Srila Prabhupada explains that even among animals, sexual activity varies according to bodily nature. Some animals mate very rarely, while others mate frequently. This variation is simply due to bodily construction; it has nothing to do with spiritual advancement.
Maya is not merely the physical body. Maya is the false relationship we establish between bodies, especially the identification of "man" and "woman." The more we think these bodily identities are eternal, the deeper we become entangled in illusion.
Sometimes people claim they are free from lust because they have only a "platonic relationship" without physical intimacy. This is a misunderstanding. The illusion lies in expecting lasting relational happiness based on bodily identification. Whether gross or subtle, identifying ourselves and others as material bodies is itself maya.
Some people may not even have a strong physical urge because of their bodily constitution, but that does not mean they are spiritually elevated. Simply avoiding physical sex is not the goal. As long as we identify ourselves or others according to bodily gender and seek fulfillment on that platform, illusion continues.
The real practice is to remember:
I am not a man.
I am not a woman.
He is not a man.
She is not a woman.
This is the consciousness that a devotee is meant to cultivate.
