Brahmacarya

The word Brahma is derived from Brhat.

“Brhatva’d Brahma, Brm’han’atva’d Brahma." He is Brahma because He is great. The Sanskrit term Brm’han means to enlarge. Therefore, He is Brahma, also because He makes others great. Whosoever takes His ideation becomes great.

In Sanskrit there is a root‑verb Car, which means to move while eating one’s A’bhoga. A’bhoga means pabulum. When a cow moves while grazing it is said as Carati. When the same cow moves on the road without grazing, the correct word is Calati and not Carati.

Moving about and deriving pleasure is called Brajati. When people move about and derive pleasure in Braja this is called Braja‑Parikrama’. Similarly, if someone travels and gains knowledge through travelling, it is called At’ati, hence Pariyat’ana.

Brahmacarya means to think about Brahma while doing work. Here A’bhoga of mind is Brahma. You move in this world but at the same time you make use of your A’bhoga, and the A’bhoga is Brahma, hence this is Brahmacarya.

This is Brahman’i vicaranam. This means the mind is moving from one place to another, from one object to another, from one span of time to another span of time but his mind’s A’bhoga is Brahma.

“Brahman’i carati, Brahman’i vicaran’am,” hence Brahmacaryam. What is he then doing?

He is moving, but not from Ranchi to Patna. He is moving from Brahma to Brahma, from one atom of Brahma to another atom of Brahma. From one place to another place you say “Desha’ntara”, from one object to another “Pa’tra’ntara”, from one span of time to another “Ka’la’ntara”; but from one atom of Brahma to another, it is not called Brahma’ntara.

He who always works with the ideation of Brahma is called Brahmaca’rii (Brahman’i vicaran’am).

In Sanskrit the form of the word `Brahman’ in Saptamii [the seventh case ending] singular number is Brahman’i and means “in Brahma.”

In the past a hypocrite Guru wanted to inject inferiority in the minds of family men in the name of complete celibacy (Naes’t’hika Brahmacarya). His motive, in doing so, was to dictate to them by befooling them with the method of injecting inferiority complex in their minds. So that men living in families may suffer from inferiority complex, they publicized the meaning as “Viirya dha’ran’am Brahmacaryam”.

Viirya cannot remain preserved from beginning till infinite time. It brings death. Of course, bear in mind, the more you preserve Viirya the better it is. But its preservation by physical force will cause disease. You A’ca’ryas should learn the direction of A’yurveda (medical science), that the flow of urine, stool and semen should not be checked.

If semen is checked mentally, it is all right.

But, if checked physically, disease may occur. Suppose, you feel the pressure of passing stool but you check it physically. What will happen?

Definitely the man will fall sick and die. Similar will be the case if the flow of urine is checked physically. For Brahmacarya, Sha’stra (scripture) says, Urdhvareta’ bhavet yastu sa devah na tu ma’nus’ah”. What does this mean? Retah means Pra’n’a’ Shakti (vital energy), Viirya is called Retah in this sense. This means that he who will divert his vital energy towards Sahasra’ra will be god ‑ not man.

Urdhvareta does not mean to divert Viirya to the Sahasra’ra. Viirya never goes to Sahasra’ra. Lymph, which is called Shukra in the human body, is manufactured into semen in the testicles. Once it is converted into semen it cannot remain in the body, it can never be assimilated in the body and will come out. Therefore to say U’rdhvareta’ for semen is meaningless. That is to say that Viirya Dha’ran’a (preservation of semen) is Brahmacarya is meaningless. But it is true that the more semen is preserved, the better it is. It is all the more desirable if even a drop of it is not wasted, but this has no direct relation with Sa’dhana’’. This has indirect relation, in that if more semen is wasted, there will be shortage of Shukra (lymph) in the body and the glands will not get food. The glands will then become weak and man can not remain active.

A man must possess power of progeny. A man can be great by controlling this power in him.

If he fails to control this power, he will have his downfall, and if he destroys this, he will have a greater downfall.

I do not declare it publicly but I say this to you all that for this reason I am against family planning. This will not allow a man to remain a man, or a woman to be a woman but will convert them into eunuchs.

Actual Brahmacarya is always external, extrovertial. Its spirit is internal, its appliance is external. Its abode is internal, its root is internal, but its application is always external, it is Brahman’i vicaran’am. One has to talk to somebody, to go to a place, to see a sight, to hear a song ‑ whatever he has to do ‑ all are something external. What are these external objects? These are all manifestations of Parama Purus’a.

Man forgets this. He thinks, “This is my belonging, this is for enjoyment, this is for my use and these are meant for me”. People work with this idea but this is defective. If a man does not look at an object in its right perspective and always thinks of crude objects, he will also become so, he will become crude and will lose his humanism. This materialistic bent of mind is dangerous. A man must be spiritually minded.

How will you perfect this Brahmacarya? The method is to use Gurumantra prior to your doing any work. First, use your Gurumantra and then work. Through such practice you can perfect it. Remember, you have to use Gurumantra and then work.

(If you do not work after ideation of Brahma with the help of Gurumantra, this becomes a part of Pratya’ha’ra.) So, you have to complete the work after the use of Gurumantra and then alone this is Brahmacarya.

You have to work with wood. You then think of wood. Due to always thinking about wood, the ectoplasmic stuff in your subconscious mind will gradually start getting solidified. Ectoplasmic stuff of all creatures is not similar. Through this process of solidification when the ectoplasmic stuff becomes more crude it becomes unfit for human mind. Thus after death that human mind will become wood. If you always keep on thinking about a dog the ectoplasmic stuff will gradually keep on changing and forming the stuff like that of a dog. When the mental stuff will be completely transformed into the mental stuff of a dog through this process, the human body will not remain with it. The man will die and he will get a dog’s body because he will get a subconscious mind like that of a dog. If the mind stuff becomes like that of a dog, the conscious mind of the man cannot work according to its dictates. The seat of will power in a dog’s mind and its operation in a man’s conscious mind is not possible. Also, if the nerve fibers are of a human body and the inspiration is of a dog’s mind, how long can there be adjustment? Therefore the man will die. After death he will be reborn and get the body of a dog, so that he gets the subconscious, conscious will power and nerve fibers of a dog. Here there will be a proper adjustment. How dangerous it is! This will be the result if you see wood as wood. Therefore think of Brahmacarya. Think in your mind what is the actual fact, what is the fundamental fact. Wood is a manifestation of the Cosmic Entity.

It is an expression in the last portion of Saincara. Its atoms and ions are fundamentally the ectoplasmic stuff of the Supreme. Have the idea, the ideation of Gurumantra, and work accordingly. Now work with wood or axe with this ideation. This is Brahmacarya. (Pratya’ha’ra is not similar. It is mental only).

Brahmacarya is intro‑extrovertial because its seed, its abode is in the subconscious mind but its expression is always external, never internal. So far as the real meaning of Brahmacarya is concerned, every Sa’dhaka can be Brahmaca’rii through practice. This is not difficult. The hypocritical explanation of Brahmacarya has not much value in the spiritual world but I have also said that one should try to retain each and every drop of semen. A sanya’sii should pay more attention to this. If per chance semen is lost, it is not a crime. But a man should remain careful that this does not happen. So that conversion of semen from lymph is not excessive, fasting and certain other rules should be followed. Everyone should follow these rules as these are good rules. That which is good, is good for all. In India there were certain rules among the Sanya’siis to check the conversion of lymph into semen by eating certain things.

By eating those things certain glands of the genitary organ get dried up and become ineffective and thus conversion into semen is stopped. I do not want this to be done; there is no necessity of this. You should be mentally pure and this is enough. By eating camphor, myrobalan and Saonph in large quantities conversion into semen can be reduced. A Sanya’sii may use myrobalan for this purpose. Once lymph is converted into semen it will come out of body. The rule is that myrobalan should not be taken more than 1/4 piece in a day under any circumstances.

If you take twenty times a day, the 1/4 piece should be divided into twenty parts. Thus one myrobalan can be used for four days. Myrobalan has medicinal value, Yamunii myrobalan has more medicinal value. For taking after meals ordinary myrobalan can be used.