Practice of *Brahmacharyam (*Self- Restraint ) : 22. 6- Swami Sivananda.
Swami Chidananda
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Wednesday, 01 Nov 2023 05:30.
Chapter-14
COMMENTARY ON SWAMI SIVANANDA’S 8TH SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTION- Swami Chidananda
A SYMPOSIUM
Post-22-6
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Brahmacharya: Preserve the vital force (Veerya) very, very carefully. Veerya is God in motion or manifestation–Vibhuti. Veerya is all power. Veerya is all money. Veerya is the essence of life, thought and intelligence.
Brahmacharya, which is the third of the five niyamas of Maharshi Patanjali, gets mentioned in practically every one of the scriptures of Sanatana Vaidic Dharma (Eternal Religion)–the Bhagavata, the Ramayana and all the Puranas. It is also in all the Yogas–Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga.
In the Hindu tradition three great principles or qualities have been laid down as fundamental practices for spiritual development. They are ahimsa, satyam and brahmacharya (non-injury, truthfulness and chastity).
Yadi moksham icchasi chetthaatha
Vishayan vishavat thyaja
Brahmacharyam ahimsa cha
Satyam peeyusha-vad-bhaja
“If you desire your highest blessedness, give up like poison desire for sensual enjoyment and pleasures and like nectar receive into your life the triple virtues of chastity, non-injury and truthfulness.”
Down the ages this has come to be the cardinal doctrine of the Higher Life.
Within the context of the Christian faith, the prophetic religion that formed itself around the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, faith, hope and charity are lauded as cardinal virtues. Within the context of this religion, there is also Sannyas (order of renunciation)–the Christian monastic tradition. In this monastic tradition, three great vows are indispensable, they are poverty, chastity and obedience. That is the monastic vow. That is the vow of the monks and priests in seminaries as also the vow of the nuns in convents.
This also existed in pre-Christian Roman times when for the mystical Oracle of Delphi, it was only virgins who were qualified to perform the high task of divining the will of God and guiding man. This they proclaimed in a state of spiritual trance. These unmarried maidens were dedicated to God and this task, and it was believed that it was only in the pure minds and hearts of these virgins that God revealed His sacred Will. They were called Vestil Virgins of Delphi. So, the tradition of brahmacharya–chastity, self-control, sex purity did not commence from Christianity, it must have already been there within the tradition of Judaism as well.
Long before that, during the time of Buddha–who preceded Jesus by more than 500 years–the doctrine of chastity was a necessary preparation and foundation for the life of renunciation, asceticism and Yoga for the seeker after the Great Reality or for attainment of Enlightenment and Wisdom. This foundation was recognized by Buddha. The Young prince living in a palace with his young wife and baby–Rahul, left everything and went into the forest. That great renunciation, great tyaga was wonderfully brought out by Sir Edwin Arnold in his Light of Asia, a poetical presentation of Buddha’s great life, career and attainment.
Thus, it is something that has been handed down to humanity from time immemorial. It is a part of the global heritage from various diverse directions and sources. Far back, even before Zoroaster or Buddha, the ancient prophets of the Upanishads proclaimed the same thing. We hear mentioned in the Vedic age of Indra and Virochana approaching Brahma for instructions, and Brahma sending them back to observe brahmacharya for so many years–“Then come and ask me, I shall give you some knowledge, part of my knowledge.” So they go and observe the vow of celibacy for so many years and come back. Then He gives them a part of the Truth. After that He says–“Now go back and observe celibacy for some more years and come back.” Because, it is necessary to grasp the concept of That which is beyond the grasp of the mind and the senses, beyond speech and thought. They were unable to grasp it. A gross mind which is identified with the body, with the senses and with the sense appetites, and which is enslaved by the pleasure principle only, is unfit to think of abstract and abstruse ideas and concepts. A mind that has become gross due to the progressive increase of rajas and tamas, becomes unfit and naturally spiritual life and practices are a far cry to that individual. Mind must become attenuated, it must become very fine. There should be no grossness–desires, attachments and cravings in it. A certain psychic fineness of the antahkarana (inner being) is said to be essential and indispensable for rising higher into sublime ideas, thoughts and processes of viveka (discrimination), vichara (enquiry) and atma sadhana (enquiry into the Self). Therefore, this process of purification, the rising from the gross to the subtle, is the essence of the concept of brahmacharya.
The sage, Rishya Sringa, was established in brahmacharya. When a whole kingdom was threatened by famine, due to a drought, the king was deeply concerned, people were in great fear and anxiety. Then some sages advised that if this great man, who was established in the vow of absolute celibacy and continence, could be brought to the kingdom, into the royal city, then the heavens would bless them with rain. So they induced him to come. Thus the famine and possible death due to starvation of countless people was averted.
Long, long ago, our Puranic scripture, Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana has given the highest place for a great lady who was a paragon of virtue and chastity and total fidelity to her husband. Never did a thought of any other man cross her mind even in dream or imagination. So much so that the three great cosmic deities, the Creator, the Preserver and the Dissolver–Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesvara had to admit her greatness and confess that they had failed in trying to shake her from her firm adherence to chastity when they tried to test her–she was given a crucial test, maybe to glorify this great quality of chastity. She became immortal–Sati Anasuya, the mother of the Trimurtis incarnated as one avatara–Sri Dattatreya, who is regarded as the Adi-Guru.
Even so, the great world mother, Jagan-Mata Sita Janaki–the queen and wife of Lord Rama–became immortal as an example of the great virtue of pativrata (faithful wife). And therefore the couple, Maryada Purushottam Bhagavan Sri Ramachandra and Jagan Mata Sita Janaki are regarded as the ideal for the second ashrama–the grihastashrama, forever and for all times to come, for all those that believe in the Vedas and the Vedic way of life.
For 14 years Laxmana observed the vow of perfect celibacy and therefore it was he alone who was able to ultimately give victory to the side of Rama by destroying Indrajit (Meghanada) the invincible and invulnerable son of Ravana.
In the cultural history of India, the name of Bhishma evokes awe, wonder and admiration in the hearts of each and every individual who has heard about him and the great vow he took in order to fulfil the desire of his father. It has gone down in history as Bhishma Pratigna. He became a lifelong Brahmachari, and was one of the most invincible of warriors in the whole narrative of the Mahabharata. Just as the determination, the resolution, and the austerity performed by Bhagirath, another scion of the royal race and royal family, has gone down in history as something unprecedented, unparalleled, unique. We speak of Bhagiratha prayatna!
Now, we cannot simply brush aside all these facts as so mush foolishness or so much meaningless. These were not normal people, they were supernormal extraordinary personalities who had acquired Supreme Wisdom, great intuition and attained towering heights of Self-realization. Sages like Vyasa and Valmiki, were not infantile, irrational idealists–they were Tattva-vettas, Brahma-jnanis and therefore we would only be demonstrating our emptiness, our bankruptcy in vichara and viveka if we question the rationality of the principles and teachings of these great ones.
So it seems to be important that not only in the context of Satya Sanatana Vaidic Dharma but in the context of all the great living religions of the world today there is something deeply scientific and meaningful and of great importance in the observance of these principles. And you will find that Zoroaster, Socrates, Jesus, Buddha, they might not have propagated any Yoga path or Sadhana system, but they gave forth great teachings for attaining Blessedness by fulfilling the highest purpose of human existence namely love of God.
All these are indications of the concept of conserving a certain dynamic force in the human biological being and converting and sublimating this force upon which your existence, my existence–the existence of all of us physically, has been dependent. I am here, Chidananda, sitting and talking to you through the Grace of Gurudev. This has been possible because my parents produced for me this physical vehicle into which I could come at the time of prarabdha (pre-fixed birth). Even so, because the parents of Buddha, Raja Shuddhodana and mother Yasodhara had prepared the wondrous body for the Tathagata, we have the inspiring teachings of this great Master who built up a large following, a great religion, philosophy, and meditational system.
And it is therefore this concept of conserving a dynamic biological force within the human system and converting it into a higher subtler force through sublimation, conservation, preservation and taking it higher into the psyche in the form of a very, very refined subtle energy, psychical energy called ojas–ojas means that which is radiant, that which shines, that which is effulgent. This wise technique, a scientific method of converting the gross into the subtle; physical into the spiritual; psychic into the spiritual was evolved by the great sages.
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Next
Perpetuation of the Species
To be continued
###OPINION: PEOPLE OF BHARATHAM POSITIVE:
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1. SANATANA DHARMA, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS HINDUISM IS ETERNAL, WHOLE UNIVERSE IS EXISTING IN THIS TRUTH
2. EVER EXISTING
3. THERE IS NO SPACE FOR ADHARMA
4. ALL DEMONIC ELEMENTS DEMOLISHED BY DHARMA
5. SO NO QUESTION EVIL ASURIC DEMONIC FRAGMENT'S BARKING, THEY WILL BE ULTIMATELY BURNED AND DESTROYED BY NATURE.
6. PURE CONSCIOUSNESS IS DIVINE AND SUPREME, ALL OTHERS MEANINGLESS
7. NATURE IS ABOVE ALL, EVER EXISTING, ALL OTHERS MEANINGLESS.
8. THE CONTENT OF SO-CALLED HOLY BOOK IS NO HOLY AT ALL, AS IT PREACHES HATRED AND DESTRUCTION OF OTHER MANKIND, RELIGIOUS CONVERSIONS AND LIES OF UNCIVILIZED MATERIALS
9. CHRISTIANITY IS EQUALLY DEMONSTRATED CRUELTY, THE SO CALLED HOLY BOOK FULL OF LIES
10. BOTH ARE NOT RELIGIONS BUT SAMPRADAYA (ILLITERATE MAN MADE, NOT BASED ON DHARMA
11. THE CULTURE OF BHARATHAM BASED ON UPANISHADS AND FULL OF REALISATION TEXTS ARE PRODUCED BY GREAT RISHIS OF BHARATHAM
12. IN THIS MATERIALISTIC DESTRUCTIVE MINDED UNIVERSE, NO RELIGIONS COMPARABLE OR ABOVE SANATANA DHARMA OF BHARATHAM.
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Opinion :
1.( i.n.d.i.a.)all stupid "GHAMMANDY"union of idiots, dynasty rascals, feudalists, congress, communists, latest announcement the caste census, is dangerous and divisive Hindus politics, and Muslim Christians vote bank politics, people of Bharat awake and stop this attempt by kick these parties out of politics.( nehru of congress used this Adharma since independence followed by dynasty politics indira,rajiv,italian bahu, and now her stupid son and daughter)
1.1. Congress, a donkey party, its so called daydreaming stupid leader Rahul Vinci, Rahul Gandi, frequent visit to foreign countries, to abuse PM of this Nation, and Sanatana Dharma -exceeded all limits this time, his party and his family to be "condemned" and kicked away from politics, people should awake and realize the danger.
2. Congress & Communists destroyed this holy Nation Sanatana Dharama; the imported stupid secularism degenerated this Nation Ancient Culture and Civilization
3. Till 2014 nation was ruled by corrupt idiots,and all regions too, Dynasty rule dominated than Nation interests.
4. Brushing away mainstream population sides and Muslims and Christians become political parties vote banks.
5. Communists openly abused our ancient culture, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavtham and daites.
6. The communists next donkey group, latest stunt of America visit and the comedy programmed namely Kerala sabha!? these buggers destroyed Kerala in all and joining with radical Islam soon they will be eliminated, people of Kerala get up from donkey thoughts, otherwise Kerala shrink to extinct in all way.
7. Communists are danger to our civilization, their lunatic theories disappeared throughout the world, Time has come crush them, and eliminate them from our nation, they are danger to this holy nation.
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NOTE:
1. POLITICIANS (THOSE IGNORANT AND DEMONIC NATURED) ARE NOT THE AUTHORITY TO OPEN THEIR UGLY FOUL MOUTH AND UTTER NONSENSE UPON SANATHANA DHARMAM.
2. THE NONSENSE COMMENDY ALLIANCE ARE NOT THE AUTHORITY ON SANATHA DHARMAM.
3. DK, DMK. AIADMKA AND ALL NONSENSE POLITICIANS BEWARE YOU WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY WASHED OUT SOON.
4. COMMUNISTS AND CONGRESS ARE THE ENEMY TO MANKIND DESTROY THEM.
5.ALL SANATHANA DHARMAM FOLLOWERS (WHICH EVER YOUR POLITICAL INTEREST BE: YOUR POLITICAL MINDSET) TAKE AN OATH THAT YOU STAND AGAINST ALL EVIL MINDSET AGAINST SANATHANA DHARMAM!!!
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######6. CRUSH THE ANTI NATIONAL ELEMENTS SUCH AS CONGRESS, COMMUNISTS, LEFT LIBERALS, URBAN NAXALS, TAMILNADU REGIONAL ANTI NATIONAL CUM ANTI SOCIAL POLITICAL PARTIES (DK, DMK, AIADMK, ALL SILLY SELF-APPOINTED CASTE GROUPS), NEVER ALLOW THESE BUGGERS RAISE THER VOICE/HEADS. CRUSH THEM UNDER YOUR FEET.
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JAI HIND
JAI BHARATHAM
VANDHE MADHARAM
BHARAT MATHA KI JAI.
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