Jump to content
IndiaDivine.org

starting a discussion

Rate this topic


Guest guest

Recommended Posts

Guest guest

Bhagavad Gita

 

3.33

TRANSLATION

Even a man of knowledge acts according to his own nature, for everyone

follows the nature he has acquired from the three modes. What can repression

accomplish?

 

 

18.59

TRANSLATION

If you do not act according to My direction and do not fight, then you will

be falsely directed. By your nature, you will have to be engaged in warfare.

 

18.60

TRANSLATION

Under illusion you are now declining to act according to My direction. But,

compelled by the work born of your own nature, you will act all the same, O

son of KuntI.

 

 

Here the Lord is telling Arjuna (who is a pure devotee of the

highest order) that his nature is that of a Ksatriya. In the same vein, it

can be said that one's ashrama (especially in terms of whether or not one

remains a life-long celibate monk) is also determined by one's

psycho-physiological nature, which is inherited from the three modes of

nature. A man may feel like a fish in water as a celibate monk, whereas

another man may find the task impossible. Men have different natures. (This

applies to women too, but in this context I am specifically speaking about

men.)

 

Notwithstanding, ALL conditioned souls struggle with sex desire. The

encouragements we often hear such as, "Just tolerate,It's just an itch,"

"Become more absorbed in hearing and chanting," are applicable to everyone,

because both celibate monks as well as married men have to control their sex

desire.

 

Many brahmacaris and sannyasis are nonetheless glorified as staunch men who

painstakingly tolerate the sex urge. The question is, however, to what

degree is it these men's NATURE to live a monastic life? The Lord tells

Arjuna that the desire not to fight arises from false ego. Similarly, it

could be said that the desire and endeavor to be a family man arises, for

some men, from false ego because it is their nature to be monks and not

householders. And just as the Lord told Arjuna that he was destined to fight

whether on the battlefield of Kuruksetra or somewhere else due to his

nature, some men are destined to be monks, whether in the ISKCON movement,

in the Catholic Church or in other monastic orders. Some men are just made

to be monks.

 

This is not to dismiss the austerities of saffron-clad renunciates, but it

is a reminder that along with one's endeavor to intelligently say no to

marriage and depend on the guru's mercy, one cannot forget that everyone is

forced to act according to the modes that one has inherited from the three

modes of material nature. In other words, if one is currently a brahmacari

or a sannyasi, there is a very good chance that one is so situated in

(large) part because it is one's nature.

 

Your servant,

 

Candrasekhar Acarya dasa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...