Break in bhramchaerya

The same rules that apply to men, apply on an equal footing as regards women when it comes to Brahmacharya. This means that indulgence in any form of sexual thought, word and deed carried out intentionally is technically a break; for Prâna (vital energy) is lost at each and every incidence of desire, lust and passion and one's vital fluid is no different from Prâna. Further to many such instances of lust and desire, a man loses his vital fluid through a wet dream and a woman loses much energy in the form of heavy menstrual periods. The aim should be conservation and transmutation of sexual energy and not suppression or repression.

While Brahmacharya is commonly interpreted as abandonment of all forms of sexual enjoyment at the mental and physical levels, it is equally important that one should strive to raise above base emotions such as anger, attachment, greed, arrogance and jealousy for the full effects of Brahmacharya to blossom and shine through. All such indulgences lead to a break as the birth of base emotions leads to loss of Prâna. But this cannot be achieved through suppressing such emotions. The correct method is to work at reaching a stage where one does not react with base emotions as regards worldly situations or circumstances but stays calm and composed, keeping in mind the reality that such emotions are of no benefit in solving an issue but only agitate and disturb the mind, leading to loss of energy and composure. One should prevent the birth of such emotions right from the start through the application of Buddhi shakthi (power of intellect) and Vichara shakthi (power of inquiry), for it is of little use suppressing them after they have been let to grow. Coupled with this, one should work at raising above strong tendencies such as the desire to eat excessively, sleep excessively and talk excessively. All these lead to wastage of the Prânic force within. The energy conserved through Brahmacharya should be focused on God-thought, God-contemplation and God-meditation. When one leads such a disciplined and virtuous life of purity for a long period of time, 'true Brahmacharya' will get set in motion.

What is this 'true Brahmacharya'? The word Brahmacharya is a compound Sanskrit word which can be split as "Brahmani Charyathey ithi" - Meaning -"One whose actions have become the actions of the Almighty through complete devotion and surrender to the Supreme". This means that the person has reached a stage where his individual ego, desires and wants have been fully negated and that he is a neutral entity who has surrendered himself to the will & wishes of the Almighty Lord. He has accepted and realized himself to be a tool or medium in the hands of the Almighty and performs as directed by the Almighty in both the materialistic and spiritual domains. This state is somewhat similar to a painting brush which paints the canvas under the will of the painter, in the hands of the painter and fully under the control of the painter, without any set idea of its own. The brush by itself has no plans, aims or tendencies to produce this kind or that kind of a painting. If the painter decides to paint the canvas blue, then so be it, the brush co-operates in painting it blue. If the painter decides on the color green, that is fine, the brush paints it green. In other words, just as the painting brush co-operates and applies the ideas of the painter on to the canvas, the Brahmachari who has reached this state, carries out each and every action based on God's will and as offered by destiny with a sense of devotion and surrender to the Almighty.

His only wish is to always be engaged in the contemplation and experience of the Almighty. He has no other worldly or materialistic wish. As regards the materialistic world and duties, he honestly and sincerely performs his duties in whatever field or line of work offered to him by destiny, accepting it as the will of God. To him, it is God thought and contemplation that matters and not his job, career or other activities aimed at providing sense stimulation to his body and mind. This does not mean he neglects his occupation or career, for that would then amount to going against the wishes of God, since it is ultimately the Almighty who has directed him to that particular line of work. He performs in his occupation honestly and sincerely, but without the attachments, desires and wants which most people do with regards to the fruits of their actions. He views these things as incidental in his life to support and sustain this body with food, clothing and shelter and not as the central purpose of life or as life itself. Such a person is said to be established in 'true Brahmacharya'. The component of sexual continence in Brahmacharya then becomes a by-product or an after-effect of such a lifestyle. Brahmacharya then becomes effortless and natural. Anyone who practices Brahmacharya in thought, word and deed with honesty and sincerity and with God-meditation will eventually reach this stage in course of time. This fills one's life with peace, tranquility, serenity and happiness. It is the stage where one has finally realized that the aim of life is to attain self-realization and hence works in tandem with the Almighty to reclaim his lost kingdom of bliss and knowledge.

ॐ तत् सत्
(That Supreme being is the absolute truth)