Celibacy 3 - Importance of Brahamacharya

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Brahmacharya: Celibacy 3
Importance of Brahmacharya
‘Brahmacharya: Celibacy’
Attained with Understanding
Q: Which is better, practice of brahmacharya from
childhood and unmarried or practice of brahmacharya
after getting married?
A: Brahmacharya since childhood is entirely a different
thing. It is not mandatory for you to practice
brahmacharya. This will only happen if your karma
effects are there in this regard. To take a vow of
brahmacharya and preserve it will occur only if your
previous karmas are such.
It can be preserved if your deep inner intent (bhava)
from previous life was so. The other way to preserve
brahmacharya is based on your unflinching
determination to do so. If a person practices
brahmacharya and attains its full glory then it is a very
big thing.
Q: Despite understanding, the mind still stays fascinated
in all the vishayas, objects of enjoyments of the world.
We understand what is right and what is wrong, and yet
we cannot be free from these vishayas. What is the
solution for this?
A: True understanding is one that produces
results. All other understanding is unfruitful.

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Q: But, psychologists say that sexual impulses never
stop. They stay till the end. Therefore, vital energy of the
semen cannot rise higher towards spirituality, can it?
A: What I am saying is that once the opinion about sex
changes, sex does not remain! As long as the opinion
about sex does not change the energy of the semen does
not rise higher.
The cessation of sex leads to the experience of the bliss
of the Self. This then leads to the natural rise of the
vitality of the conserved semen.
Mind, intellect, chit and ego should remain in
brahmacharya. And if mind, intellect, chit and ego turn
towards brahmacharya, then the external sexuality will
shed off automatically. Turn your mind, intellect, chit
and ego inwards.
The Decision to Remain Unmarried
Q: I do not wish to get married at all, but my parents,
friends and relatives are pressuring me to do so. So,
should I get married or not?
A: There is nothing greater than the mere thought of
taking the vow of brahmacharya and the firm decision
of remaining in it. Such a person has grasped the
essence of all the scriptures.
The person, who makes a firm decision of being free
from all these entanglements of the world, has
understood all the scriptures. The illusion of sex is such

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that it will sink all, even the one who thinks that he has
no attachment to anything in the world. This illusion of
sex has sunk great sages and masters from tremendous
spiritual heights.
There are four pillars of liberation. These are real
knowledge, real vision, right conduct and right penance
(jnana, darshan, charitra and tapa).
Now, when does one have to do penance? When
thoughts about sex arise and you maintain a firm
decision of not giving in to them, the Lord has called
this penance.
When there is no desire for sex at all, and when
thoughts that lead to desire arise, that is where penance
begins.
The thoughts of sex and abrahmacharya (incontinence
of sexual impulses) will come, and in this when one
keeps praying for the energy of brahmacharya, it is
highly commendable. With these prayers the seeker
will attain the goal over a variable period of two to five
years.
The person, who conquers abrahmacharya, conquers
the whole world. The governing deities, the celestial
protectors of the path of liberation are very pleased
with the one who is in brahmacharya.
Sex is the only thing that calls for vigilance. It is more
than enough if sexual impulses are conquered. The

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impulses must be uprooted as soon as they arise, before
they become thoughts of sex.
Secondly, once there has been eye contact with anyone
who arouses impulses of sexuality, you should
immediately look away and change the inner visual
link.
Otherwise the sexual seedling will grow and even
when it is tiny it will sow seeds for more sex. Therefore
it is best to eradicate it when it is a mere sapling.
Stay as far away from the company of those who are
likely to trap you in sexuality, because if you get
trapped even once, you will keep on getting into trap
after trap. Therefore run! You must run as far away from
that person as possible.
You would not slip if you leave the place where there
are chances of slipping. In satsang, there is no chance of
meeting people who tempt you sexually. People with
the same goal of spiritual progress come together here,
do they not?
Eradicate the sexual thought immediately. Do
pratikraman (the act of asking for forgiveness) for any
attraction of a sexual nature. With these two weapons,
brahmacharya will remain forever.
It is in the nature of the sexual seed to fall and reseed
into a plant. The eyes see all kinds of things and hence
seeds are sown within. These internal seeds have to be
uprooted.

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As long as they are in the form of seeds, one has a
chance for a cure. Once they sprout and start growing it
becomes more and more difficult, and then there is no
cure.
The women are not pulling and attracting you. It is your
past life account that is pulling and attracting you.
Therefore uproot and throw it (sexual impulses) away
and clear the account.
After Jnana, there is no problem of any kind except sex.
Therefore I caution you against sex. Just commencing a
sexual link through looking is the fault and especially
after understanding this, if it happens then severe
liability is incurred. Therefore do not begin this sexual
link with anyone.
Q: It is believed that sex is the sweetest of all. On what
grounds is this based?
A: The reason why one feels the sweetness in sex is
because one has not experienced sweetness anywhere
else. If we really look at it, there is most filth in
sexuality than anywhere else. But this momentary
sweetness and pleasure renders one unconscious even
while awake.
Q: I do not like it at all and yet the attraction remains. I
continue to experience remorse about it.
A: If there is remorse, then it will go away. How can
sexuality remain if you see only the Soul of the person?
Sex occurs when you see anything else except the Self.

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Sex is the only thing that calls for vigilance
Desire is one of the foremost feature of the soul. Since
God willed the creation through desire, the soul being
part of God is endowed with this faculty. We can use
this feature to know our creator just by sincerely
desiring to know Him.
Unfortunately during the downward and outward
journey of the soul from pure spiritual regions to the
materio-spiritual or material regions the feature of pure
desire takes the form of hope and lust. These are known
as Asa (Hope) and Mansa (Lust).
Initially there is a fear of venturing into new areas or
activities but with repetition familiarity takes over and
we have no fear of the consequences of our actions.
There is no fear of death and afterlife.
Lust for material things and sensual pleasures is so
strong that we have no time to even think of who we
really are and what is the real purpose of human life.
Saints have repeatedly cautioned us about sex. The
illusion of sex is such that it will sink all, even the one
who thinks that he has no attachment to anything in the
world. This illusion of sex has sunk great sages and
masters from tremendous spiritual heights.
Unlike excessive intake of food from without to within
where our body applies restraint of vomit and rejection,
the indulgence in sex and all other vices have no
restraint. These features are loaded in us and they

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operate from within to without. These vices draw their
power from Maya (Illusion, Ignorance) and like their
source are insatiable.
The path of brahmacharya is the best inhibitor to
control the desire of sex pleasure. We have to
understand once and for all that faculty of sex is to be
used only for propagation of soul and not for pleasure.
The pull of sex is so strong that great sages like
Vashishtha, Vishwamitra, Parasara, Vyasa and so on;
three principal gods and gods like Indra, Varuna,
Ashwini Kumara, Brihaspati, Chandra and many more
have succumbed to its temptation. Buddha was also
tempted by Mara before his enlightenment.
Our life is enfolding from within and it is the play of
the gods that we are playing out of ignorance. Only
human beings have been endowed with the capacity to
realize God which makes gods envious of human
beings and they use this tool of sex most effectively
against us to block our passage to freedom.
We have to understand that the gods occupy the
materio-spiritual region within and they are loaded
with passion and it is their job to push us down and out.
Seeking a true Master and acting upon his advice is the
only way to overcome the passions generated from
within.
Once upon a time, the sage Vishwamitra generated such
intense energy by means of his asceticism that Indra himself
became fearful. Deciding that the sage would have to be

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distracted from his penances, he sent the Apsara Menaka to
work her charms.
Menaka trembled at the thought of angering such a powerful
ascetic, but she obeyed the god's order. As she approached
Vishwamitra, the wind god Vayu tore away her garments.
Seeing her thus disrobed, the sage abandoned himself to
lust.
Nymph and sage engaged in sex for some time, during which
Vishwamitra’s asceticism was put on hold. As a consequence,
Menaka gave birth to a daughter, whom she abandoned on
the banks of a river.
Vishwamitra realized his folly and subsequently continued
with his penance. Indra again sends Apsara Rambha to
seduce him. This time Vishwamitra is careful and he curses
her to become a stone for 1000 years.
Brahma tells him that he cannot be declared a Brahmarishi as
he lacks control over his passions. Passion of anger and curse
was still there.
Vishwamitra further undertakes an even more severe tapa
and refuses to be provoked by any of Indra’s testing and
seductive interferences. All pride and desire left
Vishvamitra’s heart and he realized the status of a
Brahmarishi.
The Apsaras are celestial nymphs, the dancers in the court of
Indra, the king of the Devas. All of them are extremely
beautiful and skilled in both dance and music.
They dance to the music made by the Gandharvas, usually in
the palaces of the gods, entertain and sometimes seduce gods

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and men. They were employed in enticing the hearts of
persons practising rigid austerities.
They are many in number, and the most famous are Rambha,
Menaka, Urvashi, Tilottama and Ghritachi. Other nymphs
who are mentioned in the Puranas are: Mishrakesi, Vapu,
Viprachitti, Purvachitti, Sahajanya, Karnika, Punjikasthala,
Viswachi, Rithisthala, Umlocha, Pramlocha, Swayamprabha,
Janapadi, and Adrika.
In addition to entertaining at Indra's court, they are often
sent by him to disrupt the penance of sages, for Indra lives in
perpetual fear that his position would be usurped by some
sage by his ascetic merit.
Sometimes, the nymph would succeed in seducing the sage
and achieve her mission, at other times, she would merely
incur the wrath of the sage, who would curse her.
In the former case, the children (almost always female), born
of such a union would be abandoned, and would be brought
up by foster parents. Satyavati and Shakuntala are such
children, born respectively to Adrika and Menaka.
If the Apsara were to fail in her mission, the sage would curse
her, typically to be turned into stone or some lower animal,
with the proviso that after the lapse of a certain amount of
time, or upon the occurrence of a particular event, they would
regain the original form and would return to heaven.
Sometimes, a sage who would happen to see the scantily clad
form of these nymphs, would ejaculate spontaneously. From
his vital fluid a child would usually be born. Most of these
children were male.
Perhaps, Kripi is the only woman born this way. Some of the
male children who were born this way are: Drona (Sage

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Bharadwaja / Apsara Ghritachi), Shuka (Sage Vyasa / Apsara
Ghritachi), Rishyasringa (Sage Vibhandaka / Apsara
Urvashi), and Kripa (Sage Saradwat / Apsara Janapadi).
One of the main tasks of these nymphs is to sport with those
men who had attained heaven by virtue of their ascetic merit
or by the merit of their good deeds. They are eternal virgins,
and the constant "sporting" has no effect on their youth or
beauty. This can be best illustrated by quoting Urvashi's
speech to Arjuna in [Mahabharata : 3.46]:
"O son of the chief of the celestials, we Apsaras are free and
unconfined in our choice. It behoveth thee not, therefore, to
esteem me as thy superior. The sons and grandsons of Puru's
race, that have come hither in consequence of ascetic merit
do all sport with us, without incurring any sin. Relent,
therefore, O hero, it behoveth thee not to send me away. I am
burning with desire. I am devoted to thee. Accept me, O thou
giver of proper respect.”
“However, Arjuna politely and respectfully refused
her advances and she in turn cursed him that he shall have to
pass his time among females un-regarded, and as a dancer,
and destitute of manhood and scorned as a eunuch.”
"Having cursed Arjuna thus, Urvashi’s lips still quivered in
anger, herself breathing heavily all the while. And she soon
returned to her own abode. And that slayer of foes, Arjuna
also sought Chitrasena without loss of time. And having
found him, he told him all that had passed between him and
Urvashi in the night…
And Harivahana (Indra), calling his son (Arjuna) unto
himself in private, and consoling him in sweet words,
smilingly said, 'O thou best of beings, having
obtained thee, O child, Pritha (Kunti – Arjun’s

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mother) hath to-day become a truly blessed
mother. O mighty-armed one, thou hast now
vanquished even Rishis by the patience and self-
control.”
[Note carefully the pride of the father whose son has overcome the temptation of
lust.]
Harivahana continues, “But, O giver of proper respect, the
curse that Urvashi hath denounced on thee will be to thy
benefit, O child, and stand thee in good stead. O sinless one,
ye will have on earth to pass the thirteenth year (of your
exile), unknown to all. It is then that thou shalt suffer the
curse of Urvashi. And having passed one year as a dancer
without manhood, thou shalt regain thy power on the
expiration of the term.”
"The desires of the man that listeneth to this history of the
son of Pandu never run after lustful ends. The foremost of
men, by listening to this account of the awfully pure conduct
of Phalguna (Arjuna), the son of the lord of the celestials,
become void of pride and arrogance and wrath and other
faults, and ascending to heaven, sport there in bliss."
[This is the importance of preserving Brahmacharya and it has to be exercised
here while living as human being otherwise it is not possible to overcome the
temptations of lust within.]
Maya and Her Wiles
Maya (Sanskrit) is generally translated as illusion - the
illusion that makes the world of sense look real. Maya
is also personified as the temptress who does Kaal's
work (Satan, the Negative power, Outward Current)
through the passion of lust, which few can resist.

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To those who rise to the worlds of the spirit within,
Maya manifests herself as a celestial nymph, excites
their lust and robs them of the spiritual merit they have
gained through ages of penance. But in the home of
saints, Maya is a servile drudge. She dare not work her
nefarious designs in their court.
Beware of Maya, the deceiving thug,
who has swindled the whole world –
none is clever enough to hoodwink her.
None is clever enough to hoodwink her,
for in her hand she holds the three guna
the dread weapon of action, inaction and all between.
She pulls men, sages and gods down from lofty heights,
She makes them the subject of mockery.
She snared Indra, the ruler of paradise,
She duped Durvasa, the ancient sage.
She fooled Narada, a prey to her seductions.
Lord Shiva, with trident in hand, could not resist her.
Shringi, the valiant rishi, was defrauded in the thick forest.
O Paltu, true devotees of the Lord alone outwit her.
Beware of Maya, the deceiving thug,
who has swindled the whole world
none is clever enough to hoodwink her.
-Sant Paltu of UP, India;
-Paltu Sahib ki Bani, Part 1, Kundli 183, Belvedere Printing Works, Allahabad
Lovers of God should have unflinching determination
to preserve Brahmacharya and seek true devotees of the
Lord for eternal liberation. The goal of the true saints is
much higher to that of a Brahmarishi.

Celibacy 3 - Importance of Brahamacharya

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