celibacy required for perfection

[Guest guest]

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

I just want to say thanks to everyone who has contributed to this conference

in the past. I thought I should also be a good example and contribute

something to the conference periodically. Here is a relevant section from

Srimad-Bhagavatam.

 

Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.6.20

 

TRANSLATION

The spiritual world, which consists of three fourths of the Lord's

energy, is situated beyond this material world, and it is especially

meant for those who will never be reborn. Others, who are attached to

family life and who do not strictly follow celibacy vows, must live

within the three material worlds.

 

PURPORT

The climax of the system of varnashrama-dharma, or sanatana-

dharma, is clearly expressed here in this particular verse of Srimad-

Bhagavatam. The highest benefit that can be awarded to a human

being is to train him to be detached from sex life, particularly because

it is only due to sex indulgence that the conditioned life of material

existence continues birth after birth. Human civilization in which there

is no control of sex life is a fourth-class civilization because in such an

atmosphere there is no liberation of the soul encaged in the material

body. Birth, death, old age and disease are related to the material

body, and they have nothing to do with the spirit soul. But as long as

the bodily attachment for sensual enjoyment is encouraged, the

individual spirit soul is forced to continue the repetition of birth and

death on account of the material body, which is compared to garments

subjected to the law of deterioration.

In order to award the highest benefit of human life, the varnashrama

system trains the follower to adopt the vow of celibacy beginning from

the order of brahmacari. The brahmacari life is for students who are

educated to follow strictly the vow of celibacy. Youngsters who have

had no taste of sex life can easily follow the vow of celibacy, and once

fixed in the principle of such a life, one can very easily continue to the

highest perfectional stage, attaining the kingdom of the three-fourths

energy of the Lord. It is already explained that in the cosmos of three-

fourths energy of the Lord there is neither death nor fear, and one is

full of the blissful life of happiness and knowledge. A householder

attached to family life can easily give up such a life of sex indulgence if

he has been trained in the principles of the life of a brahmacari. A

householder is recommended to quit home at the end of fifty years

(pancashordhvam vanam vrajet) and live a life in the forest; then,

being fully detached from family affection, he may accept the order of

renunciation as a sannyasi fully engaged in the service of the Lord.

Any form of religious principles in which the followers are trained to

pursue the vow of celibacy is good for the human being because only

those who are trained in that way can end the miserable life of

material existence. The principles of nirvana, as recommended by

Lord Buddha, are also meant for ending the miserable life of material

existence. And this process, in the highest degree, is recommended

here in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, with clear perception of ideal

perfection, although basically there is no difference between the

process of Buddhists, Sankarites and Vaishnavites. For promotion to

the highest status of perfection, namely freedom from birth and death,

anxiety and fearfulness, not one of these processes allows the follower

to break the vow of celibacy.

 

Best wishes,

Krishna-kripa das

moderator