GLORY OF BRAHMACHARYA
(H.H. Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj)
BRAHMACHARYA—A SINE QUA NON
Man has degraded himself to a great degree by becoming a puppet of passion. Alas, he has become an imitative machine. He has lost his power of discrimination. He has sunk into the most abject form of slavery. What a lamentable plight indeed! If he wishes to regain his lost divine state and Brahmic glory, his whole being must be transformed, his sex-desire must be completely transmuted, by entertaining sublime, divine thoughts and practice of regular meditation. Transmutation of sex-desire is a very potent, efficacious and satisfactory way for realising eternal bliss.
Brahmacharya is the very foundation of Yoga. Just as a house that is built on a rotten foundation will surely fall down, so also you will fall down from your meditation if you have not laid properly the foundation, viz., the attainment of perfect Brahmacharya. You must meditate for a period of twelve years and yet you will have no success in Samadhi—if you have not destroyed the subtle lust or the craving-seed that lingers in the innermost recesses of your heart. You will have to search out carefully this dire enemy lust, that lies hidden in the various corners of the mind. You can detect its presence only if you are vigilant. Intense self-examination is very necessary. Just as powerful enemies can be conquered only if you attack them from all sides, so also, you can keep the powerful senses under control if you check them from all sides, from within and from without, from above and from beneath.
You must not labour under the delusion that you have eradicated the lust completely by adjusting the diet a bit, by practising Pranayama and by doing a little Japa; and then thinking you have nothing more to do. Temptation or Mara may overcome you at any moment. Eternal vigilance and rigorous Sadhana are very essential. You cannot attain perfect Brahmacharya by limited effort. Just as a machine-gun is necessary to kill a powerful enemy, so also constant, vigorous, powerful Sadhana is necessary to annihilate this powerful enemy—lust.
You must not have false contentment of your little success in Brahmacharya. You must not be puffed up with pride for your little achievement in celibacy. If you are put to test you will hopelessly fail. You must be ever conscious of your shortcomings and you must constantly strive to get rid of them. Highest effort is necessary. Then only you will have sanguine success in this direction.
It is easy to tame a tiger or a lion or an elephant. It is easy to play with a cobra. It is easy to walk over the fire and drink the waters of the ocean. It is easy to uproot the Himalayas. It is easy to get victory in the battle-field. But, it is difficult to eradicate lust. But you need not despair even a bit. Have faith in God, in His Name and in His Grace. Lust cannot be completely uprooted from the mind except by the Grace of the Lord. You are bound to succeed if you have faith in Him. Now you can destroy lust in the twinkling of an eye. The Lord makes a dumb man to speak and a lame man to ascend a steep hill. Mere human effort alone will not suffice. The Divine Grace is needed. God helps those who help themselves. If you do total self-surrender, Mother Prakriti Herself does the Sadhana.
The senses are very turbulent. The powerful virus that causes syphilis is attacked on all sides by the doctor by various contrivances such as inunction or local rubbing, injection, mixture, powder, etc., so also the senses must be controlled by various methods such as fasting, restriction in diet, Prana- yama, Japa, Kirtan, Meditation, Vichara or enquiry of “Who am I?”, Pratyahara or abstraction, Dama or self-restraint, Asana, Bandhas, Mudras (Hatha Yogic exercises), thought-control, destruction of Vasanas, etc.
A glutton can never dream of becoming a Brahmachari. Control of tongue is a sine qua non, if you want to observe the vow of Brahmacharya. There is intimate connection between the tongue and the organ of generation. Tongue is an organ of knowledge. It is born of the Sattvic portion of the water-Tanmatra. The organ of generation is an organ of action. It is born of the Rajasic portion of the water-Tanmatra. They are sister organs as the source is the same. If the tongue is stimulated with Rajasic food, at once the reproductive organ also gets excited. There should be selection and restriction in diet. The food of a Brahmachari must be simple, bland, spiceless, non-irritating and non-stimulating. Moderation in food is very necessary. Stuffing the stomach is highly deleterious. Fruits are highly beneficial. You should take food only when you are really hungry. The stomach will deceive you sometimes. You may have false hunger. When you sit for taking meals, you will have no appetite and no relish. Dietetic restrictions and fasting are very useful auxiliaries in controlling the carnal mind and in the attainment of Brahma- charya. You should not ignore or make light of them on any account.
IMPORTANCE OF BRAHMACHARYA
The Srutis declare: “Na-ayam atma balaheenena labhyah” (This Atman is not attainable by a weak man). In the Gita (VIII-11) you will find “Yadichhanto brahmacharyam charanti” (that desiring which Brahmacharya is performed); “Trividham narakasyedam dvaram nasanam-atmanah; Kamah krodhah- tatha lobhah-tasmad-etat-trayam tyajet”—O Arjuna! Triple is the gate of the hell, destructive of the Self—lust, wrath and greed; therefore, let man renounce these three (XVI-21). “Jahi shatrum mahabaho kamarupam durasadam”—Kill this powerful enemy passion by the observance of Brahmacharya (III-43).
No doubt, in the Yoga philosophy much stress has been laid on the importance of Brahmacharya. Mark what Siva Samhita says: “Maranam bindupatena jivanam bindu dharanat.” Death is hastened by letting out semen from the body; life is saved and prolonged by preserving it in the body. Therefore, semen must be preserved very carefully.
(To be continued)
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