Dear Devotees, Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna! I am starting a new regular series of high quality 800x600 resolution videos describing some of my spiritual realizations.
Download Video.Daaso'smi, BR Sadhu Swami Gaurangapada.
Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!
Dandavats and obeissances.
Here is something nice about celibacy:
It is absolute freedom from sexual thoughts and desires. It is the vow of celibacy that is also controlling of all the senses in thought, word and deed. It seeks strict abstinence, not merely from sexual intercourse but also, from auto-erotic manifestations, from masturbation, from homosexual acts and from all perverse sexual practices. It also seeks further involvement from indulgence in erotic imagination and voluptuous reverie. In a narrow sense Brahmacharya may be celibacy but in broader understanding it is absolute control of all the senses. It makes spiritual life easier.
Celibacy is a potent weapon, as well as armor, to wage a war against the internal evil forces of ‘lust, anger and greed’. It serves as a gateway for the bliss of beyond, and opens the door of liberation. It contributes a perennial joy and uninterrupted bliss.
Legend has it that once a student of Dhanvantari, Deity of Medicine, approached him, after finishing his full course of Ayurveda (the ancient Indian science of medicine) and asked ‘Oh Lord, kindly let me know the secret of health now.’
Dhanvantari’s reply was ‘The secret of health lies in preservation of this vital force. He who wastes this vital and precious seminal energy cannot have physical, mental, moral and spiritual development.’
He continued further ‘Veerya (seminal energy) is the essence of life, thought, intelligence and consciousness. Always remember this. The vital energy which supports your life, which is Prana (life-force), which shines in your sparkling eyes, which beams in your shining cheeks, is a great treasure to you. It is quintessence of blood. From food, Chyle is manufactured; out of Chyle comes blood, out of blood comes flesh, out of flesh comes fat, out of fat comes marrow, out of marrow comes semen. Semen is the last essence. It is the essence of essences. Just as sugar pervades sugar-cane and butter pervades milk, so also semen pervades the whole. It exists in a subtle form throughout the body. It is withdrawn and elaborated in a gross form in the sexual organs under the influence of sexual will and excitement. ’
It is said that: When a man is excited by passion, the Prana is set in motion. The vital air or Prana moves the internal sap or semen and is thus (the semen) is put into motion. It falls downwards, just as the clouds burst into the rain water; just as the fruits, flowers, and leaves of the tree drop down by the force of the blowing winds. Once the Veerya is lost Prana gets unsteady. It is agitated. The body and mind refuse to work energetically. There is physical and mental lethargy. Exhaustion and weakness are experienced. You have to take recourse to milk, fruits and others to make good the loss of energy. But these articles, says Ayurveda, can ‘never repair the losses.’ Bad memory, premature old age, impotence, various sorts of eye diseases and nervous diseases are attributed to the heavy loss of vital fluid.
Those who have lost much of their semen become easily irritated. They lose their balance of mind quickly. Little things upset them. Those who have not observed the vow of celibacy become slaves of anger, laziness and fear. If you do not have your sense under control, you venture to do foolish actions which even children will not dare to do.
The practice of celibacy is not attended with any danger or disease, or undesirable results such as the various sorts of ‘complex’ wrongly attributed by the Western Psychologists. They have no practical knowledge of subject on hand. They have a wrong and ill-informed imagination that the ungratified sex-energy assumes the various forms of ‘complex’ such as touch-phobia. The complex, even if found, is due to some other causes. It is a morbid state of mind due to excessive jealousy, hatred, anger, worry, and depression brought about by various causes.
On the contrary, even a little of self-restraint or a little practice of continence is an ideal ‘pick-me-up’. It gives inner strength and peace of mind. It invigorates the mind and nerves. It helps to conserve physical and mental energy. It augments memory, will force, and brain power. It bestows tremendous strength, vigor, and vitality. It renovates the system or constitution, rebuilds the cells and tissues, energizes digestion, and gives power to face the difficulties in the daily battle of life. One who has perfect control over the sexual energy attains power unobtainable by another means.
It is also said that: If a man leads a life of celibacy, even in his householder’s life and has copulation occasionally only for the sake of progeny, he can bring forth healthy, intelligent, strong, beautiful, self-sacrificing God conscious children. The ascetics and saviors of ancient India, when married, used to follow this excellent rule very carefully for this purpose, and also used to teach by example and practice how to lead a life of Brahmachari even as a householder.
It is worth repeating that a true celibate possesses tremendous energy, a clear brain, gigantic will-power, bold understanding, retentive memory and good power of enquiry.
Many people talk of celibacy; but practical men are rare. A life of continence is really beset with difficulties. It is easy to tame a tiger, a lion, or an elephant. It is easy to play with a cobra. It is easy to walk over the fire. It is easy to uproot the Himalayas. It is easy to get victory in the battlefield. But, it is absolutely difficult to eradicate lust from ones bodies. To attain such Brahmacharya mere human effort will not suffice. The divine grace is needed. Lust cannot be completely uprooted from the mind except by the grace of the Lord. God helps those who help themselves.
