Practice Brahmacharya

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Brahmacharya (Celibacy)

 

Teaching of sage Sanat-sujata

From The Mahabharata

Udyoga Parva, sections XLII to XLVII

Translated by Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli

 

Sanata-sujata said: That Brahman about which you ask me with such joy

is not to be attained soon. After (the senses have been restrained

and) the will has been merged in the pure intellect, the state that

succeeds in one of utter absence of worldly thought. Even that is

knowledge (leading to the attainment of Brahman). It is attainable

only by practising Brahmacharya.

 

Dhritarashtra said: You say that the knowledge of Brahman dwells of

itself in the mind, being only discovered by Brahmacharya; that is

dwelling in the mind, it requires for its manifestation no efforts

(such as are necessary for work) being manifested (of itself) during

the seeking (by means of Brahmacharya). How then is the immortality

associated with the attainment of Brahman?

 

Sanata-sujata said: Though residing in and inherent to the mind, the

knowledge of Brahman is still unmanifest. It is by the aid of the

pure intellect and Brahmacharya that, that knowledge is made

manifest. Indeed, having attained to that knowledge, Yogis forsake

this world. It is always to be found among eminent preceptors. I

shall now discourse to you on that knowledge.

 

Nature of Brahmacharya (Celibacy)

 

Dhritarashtra said: What should be the nature of that Brahmacharya by

which the knowledge of Brahman might be attained without much

difficulty? O regenerate one, tell me this.

 

Dwija-(Twice-born)

 

Sanata-sujata said: They, who residing in the abodes of their

preceptors and winning their goodwill and friendship, practise

Brahmacharya austerities, become even in this world the embodiments

of Brahman and casting off their bodies are united with the Supreme

Soul. They that in this world desirous of obtaining the state of

Brahman, subdue all desires, and endued as they are with

righteousness, they succeed in dissociating the Soul from the body

like a blade projected from a clump of heath. The body, O Bharata, is

created by these, viz., the father and the mother; the (new) birth,

however, that is due to the preceptor's instructions is sacred, free

from decrepitude, and immortal.

 

The four steps of Brahmacharya

 

Discoursing upon Brahman and granting immortality, he who wraps all

persons with (the mantle of) truth, should be regarded as father and

mother; and bearing in mind the good he does, one should never do him

any injury. A disciple must habitually salute his preceptor with

respect, and with purity (of body and mind) and well-directed

attention, he must betake to study. He must not consider any service

as mean, and must not harbour anger. Even this is the first step of

Brahmacharya. The practices of that disciple who acquires knowledge

by observing the duties ordained for one of his class are regarded

also as the first step of Brahmacharya.

 

A disciple should, with his very life and all his possessions, in

thought, word and deed, do all that is agreeable to the preceptor.

This is regarded as the second step of Brahmacharya. He should behave

towards his preceptor's wife and son also in the same way as towards

his preceptor himself. This also is regarded as the second step of

Brahmacharya.

 

Bearing well in mind what has been done to him by the preceptor, and

understanding also its object, the disciple should, with a delightful

heart think: `I have been taught and made great by him.' This is the

third step of Brahmacharya.

 

Without requiring the preceptor by payment of the final gift, a wise

disciple must not betake to another mode of life; nor should he say

or even think of in his mind: `I make this gift.' This is the fourth

step of Brahmacharya.

 

He attains the first step of (knowledge of Brahman which is) the

object of Brahmacharya by aid of time; the second step, through the

preceptor's prelections; the third, by the power of understanding;

and finally, the fourth, by discussion.

 

The learned have said that Brahmacharya is constituted by the twelve

virtues, the Yoga-practices are called its Angas, and perseverance in

Yoga-meditation is called its Valam and one is crowned with success

in this in consequence of the preceptor's aid and the understanding

of the sense of the Vedas. Whatever wealth a disciple, thus engaged,

may earn, should all be given to the preceptor. It is thus that the

preceptor obtains his highly praise-worthy livelihood. And thus also

should the disciple behave towards the preceptor's son.

 

Thus stationed (in Brahmacharya), the disciple thrives by all means

in this world and obtains numerous progeny and fame. Men also from

all directions shower wealth upon him; and many people come to his

abode for practising Brahmacharya. It is through Brahmacharya of this

kind that the celestials attained to their divinity, and sages,

highly blessed and of great wisdom, have obtained the region of

Brahman. It is by this that the Gandharvas and the Apsaras acquired

such personal beauty, and it is through Brahmacharya that Surya (the

sun) rises to make the day. As the seekers of the philosopher's stone

derive great happiness when they obtain the object of their search

those mentioned above (the celestials and others), on completing

their Brahmacharya, derive great happiness in consequence of being

able to have whatever they desire.

 

He' O king, who devoted to the practice of ascetic austerities,

betakes himself to Brahmacharya in its entirety and thereby purifies

his body, is truly wise, for by this he becomes like a child (free

from all evil passions) and triumphs over death at last. Men, O

Kshatriya, by work, however pure, obtain only worlds that are

perishable. He, however, that is blessed with Knowledge, attains, by

the aid of that Knowledge, to Brahman which is everlasting. There is

no other path (than Knowledge or the attainment of Brahman) leading

to emancipation.

_

 

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The Eight Breaks of Brahmacharya (Celibacy)

By Swami Shivananda, The Divine Life Society, Rishikesh

 

There are eight kinds of breaks, so to say, in the current of

unbroken Brahmacharya practice. You should avoid them through great

care, sincere exertion and vigilant attention. Then only will you be

perfectly successful in the practice of Brahamacharya.

Darshan – looking at a member of the opposite sex with carnal desire.

Sparsha – desire to touch, embrace or be near a person of the

opposite sex.

Keertan – praising his or her qualities to your friends.

Keli – amorous sport with the opposite sex.

Guhya Bhaashan – talking privately to a member of the opposite sex.

Sankalpa – lustful thought of the opposite sex.

Adhyavasaaya – strong desire for carnal knowledge.

Kriya Nivritti – sexual enjoyment.

 

Only one who is free from the entire above can be called a perfect

Brahmachari. A real Brahmachari, who is seeking God earnestly, and

who is engaged in spiritual practices, should avoid these breaks

ruthlessly. A break in any one of these vows is a break in

Brahmacharya. This point should be well borne in mind.

 

Rules for Brahmacharis

 

Manu, the great Hindu law-giver, says: " The Brahmacharis, as long as

they are in school life, must get into the habit of controlling their

senses by abstaining from alcohol, meat, perfumes, flower garlands

and the company of the opposite sex. They should avoid violence. They

should give up Rajasic food, oil, eye-paste, gambling, gossip, lies,

looking at the opposite sex, striking each other, and sleeping with

others. "

The student should never, not even in his dreams, let go of his

Veerya (semen). If he does it willingly, he fails in his duty. It is

death to him. It is a sin. He is a fallen victim. By means of proper

Sadhana (austere practices) he should try to preserve the Veerya. By

the practice of Brahmacharya alone can he get physical, mental and

spiritual progress.

The following rules would be very useful to those who are trying to

observe Brahmacharya in thought, word and deed.

Give up evil company, loose talks, cinemas and televisions, and

newspapers and magazines dealing with sex and love. Do not mix freely

with the opposite sex. If this is found unavoidable in the course of

the daily duties of life, a male can mentally address a member of the

opposite sex as `mother'. A female can address a male as `father'.

Sri Ramakrishna used to look upon all women as forms of the Divine

Mother. Anadamayi Ma, the well-known saint of Bengal who lived during

recent times, used to address all elderly males as `Pitaji' (father)

or `Baba'.

Keep your head bowed down while you walk in the street.

Minimise your needs. Do not look into the mirror often. Lead a

rigorous, disciplined life.

Avoid looking at the mating of insects, animals and birds.

Do not ride too much on a bicycle.

Root out love of leisure and ease. Overcome laziness and always be

engaged in some useful work. Let the mind be always occupied in the

study of spiritual literature or some active work along useful lines.

Let there be no time for idle pleasure.

Let the work you do be a source of joy. Find pleasure in your work.

Let it not be done under compulsion. The mind turns away from that

which it does not like, and then takes recourse to other objects for

getting pleasure. You should work freely and happily, so that there

may not be occasions for the mind to resort to unhealthy practices.

Work for the sake of God. Then all work will become interesting. Take

to hard physical labour but do not exhaust yourself. Do your work as

a hobby. Then you can do it happily.

Do Sirshasana, Sarvangasana and Siddhasana. Practise deep breathing

and Bhastrika Pranayama. Take long walks. Take part in games and

sports.

Take cold baths if you can. Do not use perfumes and fashionable

dress. Do not attend dance or music parties. Do not sing worldly

songs. You may take part in Kirtan and Bhajan without trying to

display your musical talent.

Do not smoke or take drugs or alcohol. They are harmful to the body

and mind. Avoid non-vegetarian food.

Give up tea, coffee, pungent foods and excess of sweets and sugar.

Take them moderately if you cannot give them up altogether. If

possible, fast once a week. Take only milk and fruit on that day. Do

not take milk without mixing a little ginger with it. Avoid pungent,

stimulating dishes, sauces, savouries and pastries.

 

 

What is Brahamacharya (Celibacy)?

 

Brahmacharya is purity in thought, word and deed. In a special sense

it is celibacy or control of the sex desire in thought, word and deed.

Brahamacharya includes character building, or the right moulding of

character. It is a must in spiritual life. It is said that knowledge

is power, but real power lies in character. As a power, character is

superior to knowledge.

Brahmacharya is the very foundation of Yoga. Just as a house that is

built on a weak foundation will surely collapse, so also you will

fail in meditation if you are weak in Brahmacharya.

Without Brahmacharya it is not possible to possess good concentration

of mind, a good memory, and a strong will- the main essentials for

God-realisation.

Brahmacharya is the most vital subject for those who wish to attain

success in material and spiritual life. Without it a boy or a girl

cannot be successful, either in studies, in sports, in worldly

activities, or in spiritual practices.

The well known Rishi Yajnavalkya says: " Brahmacharya is abstaining

from sexual pleasure for ever, under all conditions and in all

places, either physically, mentally or verbally. "

Physical Brahmacharya is control of the physical organs, while mental

Brahmacharya is control of lustful thoughts. Mental control is indeed

much more difficult than physical control, but through sincere

exertion one can get established in mental Brahmacharya perfectly.

Always maintain the ideal, then the final goal can be realised soon.

There is no doubt about this.

Brahmacharya is absolutely necessary for the attainment of peace and

God- vision. It is a fresh spring flower whose each petal gives off

fragrance of freedom. It is a powerful weapon for waging war against

the internal demons of lust, anger, greed and jealousy.

 

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God is Rasa. Rasa is Veerya, the vital fluid or semen.

You can attain eternal bliss and peace by preserving the Veerya.

Brahmacharya means control of the Veerya. The vital force or Veerya

is preserved only by one who is established in the practice of

Brahmacharya. The vital fluid or semen is lost and wasted during

sexual indulgence.

From food comes juice or chyle; from chyle comes blood and flesh;

from flesh comes fat; from fat comes bones; from bones come marrow.

Lastly, from marrow comes semen. The Veerya comes out of the very

marrow concealed in the bones. It is found in a subtle state in all

the cells of the body. Mark here how precious the semen is! It is the

last essence of food. It is the essence of essences.

As the vital force is the most precious substance in the physical

body, it should be carefully preserved. Its wastage means loss of

physical and mental energy.

It is said that a drop of semen comes out of forty drops of blood.

According to Ayurveda it comes from eighty drops of blood.

Just a sugar pervades the entire sugarcane and butter pervades milk,

so also semen pervades the whole body. Just as buttermilk is thinned

after the butter has been extracted, so also the semen is thinned by

its wastage. The more the wastage of the semen, the more the physical

and mental weakness.

 

Ojas Shakti-Sex-sublimation

 

When semen is preserved, it gets reabsorbed by the body and stored in

the brain as Ojas Shakti or spiritual power. The seminal energy is

changed into spiritual energy. This is called the process of sex-

sublimation. The Ojas Shakti is used for spiritual Sadhana by the

Yogi.

The vital force is closely linked with the nervous system. Hence, it

is vitally necessary to preserve it carefully if one desires to have

strong nerves.

In the Yoga Shastra it is stated: " The falling of semen brings death;

the preservation of it gives life. " The semen is the real vitality in

man. It is the hidden treasure in him. It gives a glow to the face,

strength to the intellect and well being to the entire system. Girls,

too, suffer great loss through having unchaste thoughts and giving

way to lust. Vital nervous energy is lost. There is a corresponding

loss of Veerya in them as well.

 

The Srutis state that a man's full life span is a hundred years. This

can be achieved only if a person is established in perfect

Brahmacharya. It is through the attainment of good conduct only that

one can live to a ripe old age and be ever happy and peaceful. Even

if all other qualities may be lacking, good conduct alone will ensure

longevity.

You must have pure character, otherwise you will lose your vital

energy or Veerya. An early death will be the result.

Another important point to remember is that the secret of long life

lies in the choice of pure food and drink, chastity, temperance,

sobriety and a cheerful and optimistic outlook on life. So, gluttons,

drunkards and those given to idleness and laziness, cannot hope to

have long life.

 

According to psychological and natural laws, the length of human

life, or any life, should be at least five times the period necessary

to reach full growth. The horse grows for a period of about three

years and lives to be about twelve or fourteen. The camel grows for

eight years and lives to be forty. Man grows for about twenty to

twenty-five years. If all accidents are counted out, his normal

duration of life should be not less than one hundred years.

This tallies very well with the advice of the Hindu Holy Scriptures

that Brahmacharya should be practised for the first twenty-five

years. During the period of growth there is not to be any loss of the

vital fluid.

There are some rare cases where people have attained longevity and

high intellectual powers despite their loose, immoral ways. This is

obviously due to their past Karma. But they would have been still

more powerful and brilliant through the practice of Brahmacharya.

 

The Ideal Brahmachari

 

The word `Brahmachari' is used in two senses. Firstly, there is the

student Brahmachari, who marries and becomes a householder after

completing his study. He is in the first of the four stages of life

described in Hindu law books. The second type of Brahmachari is the

lifelong celibate and is called an Akhanda (unbroken) Brahmachari.

Brahmacharis of this latter type are very rare. Matted hair,

application of ash and wearing a loincloth cannot make one a true

Brahmachari. The Akhanda Brahmachari is one who has not allowed a

single drop of semen to be wasted for an unbroken period of twelve

years. Such a person can have the vision of God without effort. He

achieves the goal of life. He glows with effulgence.

The seminal energy of an Akhanda Brahmachari has been converted into

Ojas Shakti or spiritual energy through the process called sex-

sublimation. Such a person can turn out a great deal of mental work.

He is very intelligent. He has a magnetic aura on his face. His eyes

shine brightly.

Peace of mind, fearlessness, a strong will, good memory and power of

concentration, keen application to work- these are the fruits of

Brahmacharya.

 

Brahmacharya in acive life

 

The practice of Karma Yoga or selfless service will not be possible

without Brahmacharya. If the Veerya (semen) is lost, the Prana gets

unsteady. If the Prana gets agitated, one becomes nervous. Then the

mind also cannot work properly and the person becomes fickle-minded.

This is mental weakness.

Brahmacharya brings material and spiritual progress. It is a powerful

weapon for waging war against the demons of lust, anger, greed and

jealousy. It gives great energy, a clear brain, strong will,

retentive memory and good power of enquiry.

Lack of Brahmacharya brings about loss of memory, a weak will,

nervous disorders, tension, lack of the power of concentration, and

physical diseases.

The ignorant man is an instrument in the hands of his thoughts and

Karmas. Man, the master of his destiny, has lost his divine glory and

becomes a slave, a tool in the hands of sex and ego. Sex and ego are

the products of ignorance. Knowledge of God destroys these two

enemies.

 

Some Western psychologists wrongly believe that if one does not

indulge in sex, then there is a danger of developing some kind of

`complex' in the mind; they feel that some undesirable results, such

as diseases, may appear. This is an ill-founded doubt. These

complexes are due to other causes. They are morbid states due to

excessive jealousy, hatred, anger, worry and depression.

In fact, the opposite is true. Even a little practice of self-

restraint is an ideal `pick-me-up.' It gives inner strength and peace

of mind. It invigorates the mind and nerves. It helps one to save

physical and mental energy. It helps to increase memory, will power

and brain power. It bestows immense strength, vigour and vitality. It

gives new life to the system, rebuilds the tissues and cells,

energises digestion, and gives one power to face difficulties in the

daily battle of life. A perfect Brahmachari can shake the whole

world, can top the waves of the ocean, like Lord Jesus. Like Jnana

Dev, he can blow up mountains and command the five elements. There is

nothing in the three worlds that cannot be achieved by such a person.

 

A well disciplined life, study of scriptures, Satsang, Japa,

meditation, Pranayama, Sattwic and moderate diet, daily self-analysis

and introspection, practice of right conduct- all these will pave the

way towards the attainment of perfection in Brahmacharya. Most people

lead a life without any kind of discipline and religious ideals, with

the result that they are always filled with fears, cares, worries and

anxieties. Through diverse desires, they get entangled and create

numerous problems for themselves.

In the case of young children, pure non-stimulating food, games and

daily exercises are very important for keeping up Brahmacharya.