is it required to be a celibate in the path of spirituality?

October 3, 2007

SAI RAM,

Even if married,one can conquer sensual desires and plesures through Viveka and Vairagya. Viveka calls for discrimination between the true and the untrue, the reality and the falsehood, the permanent and the ephemeral etc. etc. Viragya calls for detachment and freedom from desires etc. Ramakrishna Parahamsa was married. He attained Self-realization. King Janaka was married.Still he attained self-realization. More instances can be quoted. We have to live in this world (samsara). Nothing wrong in it. But we should learn to be out of Samsara(Bondage). Marriage will not come in one`s Spiritual path, if our goal is clear to us. Let us understand that we are always Divine. We have forgotten our true identity ie., Divinity on account of false and intense identification with body, mind and intellect. Thereby we have become a limited ego(Jiva). To pursue the path of spirituality,in my opinion, marriage should come in the way. One can take to Sanyasa with wife`s consent. But it is not the colour of the robe that is important. It is transcending the mind and intellect and realizing one`s real nature that is important. Spiritual Sadhana is a prereqisite for Self-realization.

G.Balasubramanian

On 10/3/07, unnikrishnan_19 <unnikrishnan_19 wrote:

Dear All, Sai RamI have a doubt, and this doubt has not been made 100% clear in any ofthe spiritual books i've read, though indirectly they have providedanswers to my doubt. But i want to be 100% sure. So those who know

please provide some help. These are my questions?is it required to be a celibate in the path of spirituality? Is marriage an obstacle if someone wants to be enlightened? (i am referring to bothmarried and unmarried people)