Right reason for celibacy
Question
Hi Dhanajay,
Applying one's will power to observe celibacy means its not something which comes by itself unconsciously or without effort... So what should be the right reason for anyone to convince himself ( in the core of his heart) to observe celibacy?
Also I guess many times the scriptures themselves may talk in contradictory terms that some times its good to control senses and some times its not good and so on... Please share your understanding on this ..
Answer
Hello Chandrasekar,
Hope you are doing good. Coming to the query,
Q: Why should one practice Brahmacharya?
A: Can a mirror covered with dust shine and reflect an image? NO. One cannot see one's reflection in a mirror covered by dust. Reflecting an image does not come 'naturally' to the dust covered mirror. Does this mean it is against the nature of the mirror to reflect? NO. It only means that that the layer of dust covering the mirror is obstructing the 'true nature' of the mirror to reflect and shine in all grandeur. If one were to take the effort of cleaning and polishing the mirror, the very same mirror that appeared dull and lifeless would shine in splendor and give the exact reflection of the object placed before it.
The practice of Brahmacharya is exactly similar. A person (The Atman or soul) could be compared to the mirror. As in case of the mirror whose inner shine and splendor were 'unchanged and untouched' in reality by the presence of dust but only temporarily obscured, the Atman by itself is untainted, stainless, unblemished and eternally pure. It is the long association of a person with objects of senses that has made him forget his true nature of eternal bliss and go in search of 'temporary' and 'impermanent' pleasures via his five sense of perception (sight, smell, taste, sound and touch). This long association with sensual pleasures weaves a strong cocoon of 'Maya' (Ignorance) around the soul that makes it forget its real nature of eternal bliss and experience suffering further to indulgence in sensual pleasures. This results in a state where the pursuit of purity, virtue and Godliness appears 'unnatural' and alien to one's nature (just as the dust covered mirror would say 'How can I reflect an image? It is unnatural to me!)
The 'Shvetâshvatara Upanishad' a superb treatise on the path of self-realization written by the great and noble sage Shvetâshvatara for the benefit of mankind gives us a beautiful example to demonstrate the above analogy. There it is said - " As gold or silver, first covered with earth, and then cleaned, shine full of brightness and light, so the embodied man seeing the truth of the Atman as one, attains the goal and becomes sorrowless".
In order to 'remove' the layers of 'ignorance' woven around the soul and reclaim one's default state of Bliss and joy, one has to reverse the order of activity that brought him to this state. Since indulgence in sensual pleasures was the key activity that led to degradation, one has to give up such activity, contemplate on the true nature of the 'Atman' and realize that one is not the body, mind, intellect, consciousness or ego but only the 'soul'. One has to realize the infinite bliss state of the soul and reclaim his lost kingdom. This can be achieved by no other process but through Brahmacharya. As one progresses in Brahmacharya, he slowly starts to realize that sensual pleasures are temporary, impermanent and can never give true bliss. He starts to realize that lust and temptation are only tricks of the mind due to continuous repetition of recreational sexuality and have no stand or bearing by themselves. Finally, one realizes that eternal bliss and joy exist within oneself (soul) and that there is non need for anything external to entertain oneself.
This state is explained in the Bhagavad-Gita by Lord Krishna. There he says -" The realized soul of steady wisdom becomes content in the self by the self and goes to the state beyond misery and sorrow never to return back "
Do we want an existence like a dust covered mirror, dark and unclean, thrown in a corner with a pile of junk, unknown, uncared, neglected and abused or the magnificent existence of a well maintained and polished mirror that is proudly displayed in a public gallery and is admired and marveled by all the people who pass by it? The answer to this question decides the relevance of Brahmacharya.
All scriptures cutting across religions advocate man to ascend the state of purity and divinity and shun sensuality. This is beyond exception. It is for the discerning mind to rightly interpret these books of priceless value and absorb their true meaning just as we absorb the 'essence' in food through digestion and discard the balance through excretion.
God bless and have a nice day :-)
Dhananjay