Practice of *Brahmacharyam (*Self- Restraint ). : Section-3-18

========================================================================

Chinmaya Mission

Under the guidance of Swami Sivayogananda, Bhagavad Gita Chanting Competition and Prize distribution function was organized by Chinmaya Mission, Madurai on 6th November at Sethupathi Higher Sec School, Madurai. The competition has been organized consecutively for the past 23 years.

Around 12000 children from 38 schools have participated at the preliminary level, out of which 500 such young stars were shortlisted for the finals.

The Best ones were bestowed with Gold and Silver Coins and special certificates. Notebooks, Stationery Kits certificates were presented to all the participants by Sri.Nagaraj Krishnan, Managing Director, Aparajitha Corporate Services.

Smt.Jamuna, Rajapalayam lighted the lamp. Sri.K.S. Pradeep, DeputyGeneral Manager, Canara Bank Circle Office, was the Chief Guest for the function and inaugurated the competition.

The event ended with Swami Sivayogananda explaining the vision behind the competition and the greatness of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3, Karma Yoga and scrumptious Lunch!

=======================================================================

Monday, November 14, 2022. 06:00.

Section-3 : Techniques of Sex Sublimation :

18.THE ROLE OF DIET IN SEX CONTROL..

=========================================================================

Diet plays a prominent part in keeping up Brahmacharya. Purity of food brings in purity

of mind. That power which connects the body and the mind is present in the food that we take.

Various kinds of food have varying effects on the mind. There are certain kinds of food that

make the mind and the body very strong and steady. So it is absolutely essential that we should

take pure and Sattvic food. Food has a very close connection with Brahmacharya. If proper

attention is given to the purity of the food that we take, Brahmacharya becomes quite easy.

The influence of foodstuffs on the brain cells, emotion and passion is remarkable. There

are different compartments in the brain and each food produces its own effect on each

compartment and on the general system. A confection of sparrow produces an aphrodisiac effect.

It directly stimulates the reproductive organs. Garlic, onions, meat, fish and eggs stimulate

passion. Mark how elephants and cows that live on grass are quiet and peaceful and how tigers

and other carnivorous animals that live on meat are turbulent and ferocious. Instinct or the voice

from within will guide you in the selection of articles of diet that are conducive to the keeping up

of Brahmacharya. You can also consult some elderly and experienced persons.

Sattvic food :

Cheru, Havis Annam, milk, wheat, barley, bread, ghee, butter, dried ginger, green gram,

potatoes, dates, plantains, curd, almonds and fruits are all Sattvic articles of food. Cheru is a

mixture of boiled white rice, ghee, white sugar and milk. Havis Annam is also a similar

preparation. This is very useful for spiritual aspirants. Milk is a perfect food by itself, containing

as it does, the different nutritive constituents in a well balanced proportion. This is an ideal food

for Yogins and Brahmacharins. Fruits are great energy producers. Bananas, grapes, sweet

oranges, apples, pomegranates and mangoes are wholesome and nutritious.

Dry fruits such as grapes, raisins, dates and figs, sweet fresh fruits such as bananas,

mangoes, Sapotas, melons, limes, pineapples, apples, wood apples and sweet pomegranates,

sugar and sugar-candy, honey, sago, arrowroot, milk, butter and ghee of cows, tender coconut

water, coconut, almonds, pistachio nuts, Toor Dhal, Ragi, barley, maize, wheat, rice of red paddy

whose bran is only partly removed and rice of good smell or sweet taste, and all preparations

from any of these grains, and white pumpkin are Sattvic articles for keeping up Brahmacharya.

Forbidden food :

Highly seasoned dishes, hot curries, Chutnies, chillies, meat, fish, eggs, tobacco, liquor,

sour articles, oil of all kinds, garlic, onions, bitter things, sour curd, stale food, acids, astringents,

pungent stuffs, roasted things, over-ripe and unripe fruits, heavy vegetables and salt are not at all

beneficial. Onions and garlic are worse than meat.

Salt is the worst enemy. Too much salt excites passion. Even if you do not take salt

separately, the system will derive the necessary quantity of salt from other foodstuffs. All

foodstuffs contain salt. Giving up of salt helps you in controlling the tongue and thereby the

mind and all the other Indriyas.

All kinds of peas and beans, both fresh and fried, black grain, Bengal gram, horse gram,

sprouted grains, mustard, all sorts of chillies, asafoetida, lentils, brinjals, lady’s finger,

cucumbers, Malabar nightshades, both white and red, bamboo shoots, papaw fruit, drumsticks,

all varieties of gourd such as white gourd, snake gourd and squash gourd, radish, leeks,

mushrooms of all kinds, things fried in oil or ghee, pickles of all sorts, fried rice, sesame seeds,

tea, coffee, cocoa, all kinds of vegetables, leaves, roots, fruits and foodstuffs that create wind or

indigestion, grief, pain or costiveness or other sickness, pastry preparations, foods that are dry

and burning, foods that are bitter, sour, saline, over-hot and pungent, tobacco and its

preparations, foods and drinks containing liquor or narcotic drugs such as opium and bhang, food

preparations which are stale or have become cold subsequent to their removal from the hearth or

which have lost their natural taste, smell, colour or form, or which are remnants after being eaten

away by other persons, animals, birds or insects, or which contain dust, hair, straw or other

rubbish, and milk of buffalo, goat or sheep should be avoided as they are either Rajasic or

Tamasic by nature. Lemon juice, rock salt, ginger and white pepper can be used in moderation.

Mitahara or moderation in diet :

Mitahara is moderation in food. Take wholesome Sattvic food half-stomachful. Fill a

quarter with pure water. Allow the remaining part free. This is Mitahara. Brahmacharins should

always take Mitahara only. They should be very careful about their night diet. They should

never overload the stomach at night. Overloading is the direct cause for nocturnal emissions.

A glutton can never dream of becoming a Brahmachari. Control of tongue is a sine qua

non if you want to control lust, if you want to observe the vow of Brahmacharya. The tongue

must be controlled first. Then it will be easy to control the passion. 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 camel mind and in

the attainment of Brahmacharya. You should not ignore them or make light of them on any

account.

Fasting—a purificatory exercise :

Fasting controls passion. Fasting destroys sexual excitement. It calms the emotions. It

controls the Indriyas also. Passionate young men and ladies should take recourse to occasional

fasting. It will prove highly beneficial. Fasting is a great Tapas. It purifies the mind. It destroys

a great multitude of sins. Shastras prescribe Chandrayana Vrata, Krichara Vrata, Ekadasi Vrata

and Pradosha Vrata for the purification of the mind. Fasting controls particularly the tongue,

which is your deadly enemy. When you fast, do not allow the mind to think of delicious dishes,

because then you will not derive much benefit. Fasting overhauls the respiratory, circulatory,

digestive and urinary systems. It destroys all the impurities of the body and all sorts of poisons.

It eliminates uric acid deposits. Just as impure gold is rendered pure by melting it in the crucible

again and again, so also, the impure mind is rendered purer and purer by fasting again and again.

Young, robust Brahmacharins should observe fasting whenever passion troubles them. You will

have very good meditation during fasting, as the mind is calm. The chief object in fasting is to

practice Dhyana rigorously during that period as all the Indriyas are calm. You will have to

withdraw all the Indriyas and fix the mind on God. Pray to God for guiding you and throwing a

flood of light on the path. Say with Bhav: “O God! Prachodayat, Prachodayat. Guide me, guide

me. Trahi, Trahi. Protect me protect me. I am Thine, my Lord!” You will get purity, light,

strength and knowledge. Fasting is one of the ten canons of Yoga.

Avoid excessive fasting. It will produce weakness. Use your commonsense. Those who

are not able to observe a full fast can fast for nine or twelve hours and can take milk and fruits in

the evening or at night.

During fasting, the internal digestive organs such as the stomach, the liver and the

pancreas take rest. Epicureans, gluttons and those who are tireless eaters do not allow rest for

these organs even for a few minutes. Hence, these organs get diseased soon. Diabetes,

albuminuria, dyspepsia and hepatitis are all due to overfeeding. After all, man wants very little

on this earth. Ninety per cent of the people in this world take more food than what is absolutely

necessary for the body. Overeating has become their habit. All diseases take their origin in

overeating. An occasional complete fast is a great desideratum for all to keep up good health,

relieve the internal organs and maintain Brahmacharya. Diseases that are pronounced incurable

by allopaths and homoeopaths are cured by fasting. Fasting develops will-power. It increases

the power of endurance. Manu, the Hindu law-giver, prescribes in his code the remedy of fasting

for removal of the five capital sins also.

It is better to drink a large quantity of water, either tepid or cold, according to

temperament and inclination, during fasting. It will flush out the kidneys and remove the poison

and all sorts of impurities in the body. In Hatha Yoga it is termed as Gata-Suddhi or purification

of the flesh-pot, the physical body. You can add half a teaspoonful of soda bicarbonate to the

water. Those who fast for two or three days should not break their fast with any solid food.

They should take some kind of fruit juice, either sweet orange juice or pomegranate juice. They

should sip the juice slowly. You can take an enema daily during fasting.

Fast for a day to start with. Then slowly increase the number of days according to your

strength and capacity. In the beginning you may feel a slight weakness. The first day may be

very tiring. You will feel real Ananda, bliss, on the second or the third day. The body will be

very, very light. You can turn out more mental work during fasting. Those who are in the habit

of fasting will rejoice. On the first day, the mind will tempt you in a variety of ways to eat

something or the other. Stand firm. Be bold. Curb the mind at once when it hisses or raises its

hood. Do more Japa of Gayatri or any Mantra during fasting. Fasting is more a spiritual Kriya

than a physical Kriya from the viewpoint of health. You will have to utilise the fasting days for

higher spiritual purposes and in the contemplation of God. Always entertain thoughts of God.

Dive deep into the problems of life such as the why and the wherefore of the universe. Enquire:

“Who am I? What is this Atman or Brahman? What are the ways and means to attain

Knowledge of God? How to approach Him?” Then realize your Nijananda state and rest in

purity for ever and ever.

My dear brothers! Will you start the fasting Tapasya from the very second you read these

lines?

Peace be unto all beings!

*****

Next-

19. WET DREAMS AND SPERMATORRHOEA

To be continued

========================================================================

Search This Blog

Character