Here's an interesting quote from Srila Prabhupad which explains how sex desire is manifested in the more subtle forms of the false ego.
"When sex desire is prominent the false sense of egoism, or the sense of "myself" and "mine", become manifest, and the sex desire expands to various political, social, altruistic, philanthropic and many other unwanted engagements, resembling the foam of the sea waves, which becomes very prominent at one time and the next moment vanishes as quickly as a cloud in the sky."
Srimad Bhagavatam 2.2.12
This Term
False -- or Misaligned
I have used the term false ego for many years, and it is a very popular term to describe this situation, but recently I am discovering that it is 'not descriptive' for explaining what is going on with this condition-
although it has sufficed for some time and I'm sure has been relatively useful, it implies a dead end for the ego (before the fulfillment of its purpose), which in turn implies to kill the ego, or that all the ego is somehow innately bad - is this really the case?
The ego is our very existence, so what's the problem?- the 'False' ego is the desire to receive pleasure for the self, but we are born with an innate desire to receive pleasure for the self, so is our whole existence from birth debased as falsehood? or, is an innate desire to receive pleasure normal, because we do have an innate sense to seek pleasure over pain - what is false then, is it the ego itself, is it the desire itself, or is it the misuse of the ego - like the misuse of nature or the exploitation of a natural resource, this seems like more of a common pattern which is mirrored in the acts that are committed, acts of misuse from a misaligned ego - corrected thru the spiritual desire!
Haribol
Jai Shri Krishna mataji, it
Jai Shri Krishna mataji,
it is really a fact that holds back many individuals to attain spirituality......
The desires for sensual and mental pleasures are conditions that keep one trapped. And the hardest freedom to attain is freedom from sex desire.
If one still has desires for the recreation of sensual or mental pleasures and happiness, then an individual is still a servant of mind and senses. One is still bound by shackles of the fantasy of chasing after pleasing the senses. Complete spiritual freedom includes freedom from sexual desire
Radhe Radhe
True Freedom
That's right Krishna Priya,
Attaining total freedom from sex desire, including all subtle forms of it is a very, very advanced stage.
That's one more reason it's so important to focus on chanting, because regardless of if we are totally free of all forms of sex desire or not, we still can make advancement in Krishna consciousness, and be saved from the greatest danger of forgetting Krishna entirely.
Here's a nice section of a purport by Srila Prabhupad about this:
"It is imperative, therefore, that all devotees in Krsna consciousness practice chanting some mantra. Certainly one should chant the Hare Krsna mantra, which is the maha-mantra, or great mantra, and also one should practice chanting cintamani-prakara-sadmasu or the Nrsimha strotra (ito nrsimhah parato nrsimho yato yato yami tato nrsimhah).
Every devotee should practice in order to chant some mantra perfectly so that even though he may be imperfect in spiritual consciousness in this life, in his next life he will not forget Krsna consciousness, even if he becomes an animal.
Of course, a devotee should try to perfect his Krsna consciousness in this life, for simply by understanding Krsna and His instructions, after giving up this body one can return home, back to Godhead.
Even if there is some falldown, practice of Krsna consciousness never goes in vain. For example, Ajamila, in his boyhood, practiced chanting the name of Narayana under the direction of his father, but later, in his youth, he fell down and became a drunkard, woman-hunter, rogue and thief.
Nonetheless, because of chanting the name of Narayana for the purpose of calling his son, whom he had named Narayana, he became advanced, even though he was involved in sinful activities.
Therefore, we should not forget the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra under any circumstances. It will help us in the greatest danger, as we find in the life of Gajendra."
S.B. 8.3.1
Hare Krishna,
Navasi
Egoistic Desire
Its so true how sex desire expands into a series of other desires, wealth, honor, power ....... .
Its like seeking an equivalence of form , like our desire for material opulence is a lower intention which blocks our ability to receive from the Lord his opulence as spiritual opulence - seeking an equivalence of likeness to the Lord, but stuck in the lower gear of egoistic desire and blocking the will to receive the higher.
I think our relationship with Krishna needs to be measured and tested in some field of resistance, or it would not be known for sure where we stand. And sex desire is like a primary desire that is one of the root desires of all material egoism, one of the tougher tests.
Haribol