Seminar on Brahmacarya

[Guest guest]

The following is a transcription of a seminar on brahmacarya given by His

Holiness Bhakti Vikasa Swami in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, around 1994. The

whole text is a little more than 9 Kb. ys dik

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BHAKTI VIKASA SWAMI: Human life is meant for making a solution to the

problems of birth, death, old age and disease. We'll just explain it. We're

going to talk about brahmacari life now.

 

So, human life is meant for God realization. And the process of God

realization in this age is very easy. Simply by chanting Hare Krsna

maha-mantra one can get free from birth and death and go back home, back to

Krsna. Now, this process normally takes place over many lifetimes. One may be

gradually purified by different levels of spiritual practices. But in

Kali-yuga there is no time, our lives are very short. And anyway in Kali-yuga

everyone is so contaminated that practically they can't follow all these

different processes of self-realization. So, this is the solution - chant

Hare Krsna and make a solution to the problems quickly.

 

Now, the Vedic literatures prescribe the varnasrama system. Because it is

understood that not everyone can achieve the highest perfection of life

immediately. The perfection of life is paramahamsa stage, which traditionally

is reached after going through four asramas. Not necessarily going through

all the asramas, you can also go directly. But the usual system is first

brahmacarya, then grhastha life, then vanaprastha life, and then sannyas

order. And in sannyas life there are four stages also. The topmost of which

is paramahamsa.

 

So this division is there because it's understood that everybody has

different material desires. So one is supposed to overcome them by

practicing KC within the varnasrama system. Brahmacari life is the first

stage. Traditionally brahmacaris go to the gurukula at the age of five

years before they had any chance to become contaminated. And they live a very

simple, austere, disciplined life. They don't wear shoes. They sleep on the

floor. They tolerate heat and cold. They act as menial servants of the

spiritual master. The particular training in such brahmacari life is control

the senses.

 

So, brahmacari life for most devotees in ISKCON is different. We have some

young boys-brahmacaris who go to our gurukulas. But mostly who is joining

our movement, they join as brahmacaris, they already have been through so

much material life. They are already contaminated in so many ways. They

didn't have that traditional brahmacari training. But still one reason why

they are able to join this movement is because they have been through all

that nonsense, and finding no satisfaction in the material life, they have

come to KC for spiritual life. Otherwise, why is anyone joining?

 

No one will agree to such a life style unless he has some spiritual

commitment. No one is going to live a very austere life, shave his head, and

work hard all day, and live in a very crowded condition, either he is going

to get a good pay, or he is going to get some spiritual payment, a different

kind of remuneration. So everyone has come here for spiritual life. And

basically that what most people who join this movement want.

 

Of course, in some poor countries like India, we get people joining who are

also looking for some material improvement. They think, 'Maybe if I join

ISKCON I will be able to go to America.' Yes, really. Many join [like that].

But in this country, what I can see who is joining, they are not joining with

any gross material motive. Basically, everyone is joining because they want

spiritual life.

 

So, the basic motive is not a materialistic motive. But because of past

contamination, it is difficult to keep the spiritual motive always in focus.

We tend to get disturbed by the material contaminations. And thus a struggle

goes on in our minds that all we want to do is to surrender to Krsna, but we

find it difficult because of contaminations. Which particularly means the

contamination of lust, the desire to enjoy the opposite sex. This is a

difficult problem. It is a very deep-rooted desire to enjoy this material

world which blocks our progress in spiritual life. Now, how to overcome this?

How to make our lives successful?

 

Because anyone who has come to KC not married, as a brahmacari, they

understand what a good opportunity they have. It's a wonderful opportunity.

As a brahmacari, you don't have to do anything else. You don't have to worry

about bringing money to support the family. You don't have to worry about

getting your children educated. You don't have your energy taken away by wife

and children and family. You don't have to engage in any materialistic

activities. All you have to do is serve guru and Krsna, and prepare yourself

to go back to Godhead. You can distribute books, you can travel and preach,

you can learn slokas, you can learn bhajans, you can learn mrdanga, you can

cook, you can preach to devotees, you can preach to the other people to

become devotees. Time to time you can go to India and visit Mayapur-Vrndavan

festivals. Even in this life, it's a wonderful life -- no headaches and all

bliss. Somewhat austere. You don't have your own private apartment and all

these things. But then you don't have work to get all these things. Time is

free to serve Krsna. So, it's a wonderful opportunity. And I always

recommend, brahmacaris stay brahmacaris. How long you are going to live in

this body for anyway? Maybe you'll live till 70, 80. Our life is not very

long. Why not use it for living for the service of Krsna? Why get entangled

for all this nonsense.

 

Sometimes, brahmacaris do get married. Not because they really want to. But

they are finding this struggle with maya very strong. In such a situation, it

may be better for someone to get married. If he is not strong enough to fight

maya in one position, he should change his position and go on fighting maya

in another position.

 

But the best thing is just to forget all this nonsense. Just don't listen to

the call of maya. Become absorbed in trying to spread this movement. It

requires some intelligence also. Because all the time maya is calling us. So

we should philosophically understand, why we are doing, what we are doing.

We should understand that we are not this body. When the call of maya comes,

we should be able to preach to ourselves, 'Don't waste your time getting

involved in all this. This is not your real self-interest. It is not what

Prabhupada wants. This is simply illusion.' So, first preaching is to

ourselves to keep ourselves in order. So that we should try to do -- keep

ourselves strong. And only path, straight path back to Godhead.

 

First of all, we should understand what is the great opportunity that we have

in brahmacari life. First thing, we should make our determination. Just to

stay in this movement. Stay in this asrama and serve Krsna. And those who due

to past contaminations, they are very sincere, but they are not able to

immediately overcome the difficult pushings of maya, the grhastha-asrama is

there. And if someone has to go to the grhastha-asrama, then he has to go.

And in that position he should go on serving Krsna. [the translator

interrupts by asking, 'If one wants to accept grhastha asrama, he should

accept?'] No. What I am saying is that if someone is unable to continue

properly in the brahmacari asram due to so much contamination of material

desires, then he can go to the grhastha asram and serve Krsna in that asram.

But certainly it is better to avoid that, if possible. One has to be

intelligent and understand one's own position. KC means it is not two seconds

(snaps his fingers three times), and then everything is finished. We have to

think of a life-time service in KC. Not just two minutes. Therefore, those

who have to go to the grhastha asrama, they have to go. But we should have

faith in the process of KC. And if we are sincere and determined, then we

can overcome these pity pushings of lust, and continue to serve Krsna

without any unnecessary encumbrance.

 

Prahlada Maharaja give the example. Just like when we have an itching

sensation. We want to scratch it. But if you scratch it, the itching gets

worse. And if you tolerate the itching and don't scratch it, then gradually

the itching goes away. So, in the same way this sex desire is like an itching

sensation. It is the greatest impediment in our advancement in KC. So, that

will come. Unless and until we are completely pure devotees of Krsna this

itching sensation must come, these material lusty desires. But if we just

tell the mind, 'OK, forget it. Hare Krsna. Don't dwell on the objects of the

senses. Always engage in Krsna service.' Then we can gradually overcome these

desires.

 

So, anyway, I don't want to talk too much. More or less whatever I have to

say on this subject, I have put in this book 'Brahmacarya in KC'. Which all

of you can read. I wrote that book because I realized there was a need for

such a book. And I thought that it will be useful for so many devotees who

are joining our movement, and for so many devotees who are already in our

movement. So, I won't say much more. Are there any questions? [the end]