Post No. 12,075
Date uploaded in London – – 2 June , 2023
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What is Brahmacharya (celibacy) ? It is the way of life which leads us to Brahman (God). It includes full control over the process of reproduction. The control must be in thought, word and deed. If the thought is not under control, the other two have no value.
There is a saying in Hindustani:
He whose heart is pure has all the purifying waters of Ganga in his house.
For one whose thought is under control the other is mere child’s play. The Brahmachari of my conception will be healthy and will easily live long. He will not even suffer from so much as a headache. Mental and physical work will not cause fatigue. He is ever bright, never slothful. Outward neatness will be an exact reflection of the inner. He will exhibit all the attributes of the steadfast one described in the Gita. It need cause no worry if not one person is met with answering the description.
Is it strange that one who is able completely to conserve and sublimate the vital fluid which has the potentiality of creating human beings should exhibit all the attributes described above? Who can measure the creative strength of such sublimation, one drop of which has the potentiality of bringing into being a human life?
Patanjali has described five disciplines. It is not possible to isolate any one of these and practise it. It may be posited in the case of Truth, because it really includes the other four. And for this age five have been expanded into eleven. Acharya Vinoba has put them in the form of a Marathi verse. They are non-violence, truth, non-stealing, brahmacharya, non-possession, bread labour, control of the palate , fearlessness, equal regard for all religions, swadeshi and removal of untouchability .
All these can be derived from Truth. But life is complex. It is well to bear in mind that all the disciplines are of equal importance.(Harijan 8-6-1947)
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Brahmachari Rules in India
There are certain rules laid down in India for the would be Brahmachari.Thus he may not live among women, animals an eunuchs, he may not teach a woman only or even in a group, he may not sit on the same mat as a woman, he may not look at any part of a woman’s body, he may not take milk, curds, ghee or any fatty substance nr indulge in baths and oily massages. I read about these when I was in South Africa. There I came in touch with some men and women, who while they observed Brahmacharya, never knew any of the above named restraints were necessary. Nor did I observe them and I was none the worse for the non-observance. I did give milk, ghee and other animal substances but for different reasons. I failed I this attempt after two or three years after my return to India but today if I could find any effective vegetable substitute for milk and ghee, I would gladly renounce all animal products. But this is another story.
A perfect Brahmachari never loses his vital fluid. On the contrary, he is able to increase it day by day and, what is more, he conserves it; he will, therefore, never become old in the accepted sense and his intellect will never be dimmed.
It appears to me that even the true aspirant does not need the above mentioned restraints Brahmachari
Brahmacharya is not a virtue that can be cultivated by outward restraints . He who runs away from a necessary contact with a woman does not understand the full meaning of brahmacharya.
The true brahmachari will shun false restraints. He must create his own fences according to his limitations, breaking them down when he feels that they are unnecessary. The first thing is to know what true brahmacharya is, then to realize its value and lastly to try to cultivate this priceless virtue . I hold that true service of the country demands this observance.
Harijan 15-6-1947
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Brahmacharya in relation to God
Electricity is a powerful force. Not all can benefit from it. T can be produced by following certain laws. It is a lifeless force. Man can utilize it if he labours hard enough to acquire the knowledge of its laws.
The living force which we call God can similarly be found if we know and follow His law leading to the discovery o Him in us. But it is self evident that to find out God’s law requires far harder labour. The law may, in one word, be termed Brahmacharya. I can say this from experience. Devotees and sages like Tulsidas have shown this royal path. No one need to give undue importance to my own experience. Perhaps I am right in saying that the potency of Ramanama brought vividly home to me in Uruli Kanchan (It is the Maharashtra village where with Manibhai Desai, Gandhiji established the Naturopathy Ashram- Nisargopachar Ashram). It was there I asserted the surest remedy for all our ills was Ramanama. He who can make full use of it can show powerful results with very little outside effort.
Following this line of thought I can say with conviction that the orthodox aids to Brahmacharya pale into insignificance before Ramanama, when this name is enthroned in heart. Then and then only do we realize its transcendent beauty and power. In the vigilant search for this matchless and unfailing weapon we find it hard to differentiate between ends and means. Thus , the 11 rules of conduct are the means to enable us to reach God. Of the 11 rules Truth is the means and God called Rama is the end. Is it not equally true that Ramanama is the means and Truth is the end?
But let me revert to the original point the accepted meaning of the Brahmacharya is the attainment by man of complete control over the sex organ. The golden means to attain that end is Ramanama.
—Harijan 22-6-1947
—subham—
Tags-Gandhi, Brahmacharya , celibacy, 11 rules, Ramanama, Brahmachari
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