brahmacarya or grihasta, keep balance according to nature

[Guest guest]

Dandavatas Dear Brahmacari sadhus. Jaya Prabhupada.

 

Here is a letter I wrote to one young lad 'who is fence sitting'.

 

I thought you might like it.

 

ys MMDASBR

 

I'm happy to associate with your exalted devotee family. I hope you can

figure out nicely what you need to do for gradually unfolding your

realizations towards organizing and planning your future life out, either as

a 'real' brahmacari, or a 'real' grihastha.

 

Once you get that figured out, you can happily and confidentally proceed

doing that while simultaneously organizing the (most important) hearing and

Chanting about Krsna, (the real goal of life) suitably around that..

 

If any desires for training in a 'real' brahmacari life in India grow, don't

hesitate to contact others about that.

 

It is an enevitable fact that, sometime in your life, you will have to try

out new things and step out of your parents 'nest' sheltered and attached

life. That you know and I'm sure..also feel.

 

If the desire in you grows towards a grihastha life, then as you are

presently doing with your father, can be actively pursued. Your father is a

talented, intelligent grihastha that is surviving better than many devotees

I've seen..For grihastha desires follow your father's excellent example of

balance..

 

The only thing is making those choices carefully, (use astrology and

consult) so it will not be spiritually whimsical (against the spiritual

process of the age as per the Acharyas) or against your psychophysical

nature (your conditioned side).

 

both these must be balanced nicely and progressively and as much as possible

*not alone* but within the orbit of compassionate devotees who love you.

 

Then if the devotee is:

 

(1) serious (practically pushes themself to *first*:

(A) *understanding*,(vimarshanam)

(B) *realising it within* (vijnanena samanvitam) and

© finally applying it concretely, realistically, practically, verifiably)

(Abyaasena tu Kaunteya vairagyena ca griyate) about..

(d) attaining perfection in their *specific* devotional service. (realized

thru guru, sadhu, sastra vakya...

 

gradually Krsna reveals *his* plans to engage and then liberate His sincere

devotee from the path of birth and death. (punar janma na vidyate).

 

ys MMDASBR

 

athapi nopasajjeta

strisu strainesu cartha-vit

visayendriya-samyogan

manah ksubhyati nanyatha

SYNONYMS

atha api-yet therefore; na upasajjeta-he should never make contact;

strisu-with women; strainesu-with men who are attached to women; ca-or;

artha-vit-one who knows what is best for him; visaya-of the objects of

enjoyment; indriya-with the senses; samyogat-because of the connection;

manah-the mind; ksubhyati-becomes agitated; na-not; anyatha-otherwise.

TRANSLATION

Yet even one who theoretically understands the actual nature of the body

should never associate with women or with men attached to women. After all,

the contact of the senses with their objects inevitably agitates the mind.

SB 11.26.22

 

============ REF. SB 11.26.22

kvapi deva-mayaya striya bhuja-latopagudhah praskanna-viveka-vijnano

yad-vihara-grharambhakula-hrdayas

tad-asrayavasakta-suta-duhitr-kalatra-bhasitavaloka-vicestitapahrta-hrdaya

atmanam ajitatmapare 'ndhe tamasi prahinoti.

SYNONYMS

kvapi-somewhere; deva-mayaya-by the influence of the illusory energy;

striya-in the form of one's girl friend or wife; bhuja-lata-by beautiful

arms, which are compared to tender creepers in the forest; upagudhah-being

deeply embarrassed; praskanna-lost; viveka-all intelligence;

vijnanah-scientific knowledge; yat-vihara-for the enjoyment of the wife;

grha-arambha-to find a house or apartment; akula-hrdayah-whose heart becomes

engrossed; tat-of that house; asraya-avasakta-who are under the shelter;

suta-of sons; duhitr-of daughters; kalatra-of the wife; bhasita-avaloka-by

the conversations and by their beautiful glances; vicestita-by activities;

apahrta-hrdayah-whose consciousness is taken away; atmanam-himself;

ajita-uncontrolled; atma-whose self; apare-in unlimited; andhe-blind

darkness; tamasi-in hellish life; prahinoti-he hurls.

TRANSLATION

Sometimes the conditioned soul is attracted by illusion personified (his

wife or girl friend) and becomes eager to be embraced by a woman. Thus he

loses his intelligence as well as knowledge of life's goal. At that time, no

longer attempting spiritual cultivation, he becomes overly attached to his

wife or girl friend and tries to provide her with a suitable apartment.

Again, he becomes very busy under the shelter of that home and is captivated

by the talks, glances and activities of his wife and children. In this way

he loses his Krsna consciousness and throws himself in the dense darkness of

material existence.

PURPORT

When the conditioned soul is embraced by his beloved wife, he forgets

everything about Krsna consciousness. The more he becomes attached to his

wife, the more he becomes implicated in family life. One Bengali poet,

Bankim Chandra, says that to the eyes of the lover the beloved is always

very beautiful, even though ugly. This attraction is called deva-maya. The

attraction between man and woman is the cause of bondage for both. Actually

both belong to the para prakrti, the superior energy of the Lord, but both

are actually prakrti (female). However, because both want to enjoy one

another, they are sometimes described as purusa (male). Actually neither is

purusa, but both can be superficially described as purusa. As soon as man

and woman are united, they become attached to home, hearth, land, friendship

and money. In this way they are both entrapped in material existence. The

word bhuja-lata-upagudha, meaning "being embraced by beautiful arms which

are compared to creepers," describes the way the conditioned soul is bound

within this material world. The products of sex life-sons and

daughters-certainly follow. This is the way of material existence.

SB 5.14.28

 

============ REF. SB 5.14.28