Importance of Brahmacharya

12-7-2022 By Yogi Anoop

Importance of Brahmacharya Ashram

In the material world, Brahmacharya is associated with the banning of indulging in sex but in my experience, it should not mean that. Its basic purpose is to save a person from the addiction of unnecessary continuous ejaculation of semen at a young age, because due to this type of addiction, the chances of getting mental and physical diseases increase. There is a decrease in the concentration of the senses, and the body looks withered. I come across such young people who are found masturbating 20 to 25 times a day. Now how can they develop their brain from this addiction. When a youth is busy with this addiction throughout the day, how will he be able to concentrate on other work?

This young age is the age of forming habits in which the habit once formed cannot be easily removed hence the emphasis is on the practice of Yama Niyama at this age. Yama niyama is the exercise of the senses of which Bramhacharya is only a part. Efforts are made to make the young mind strong and healthy by moulding it into one habit.

Note that life, which is considered by the sages to be about 100 years, is divided into 4 ashrams. These are the four stages of 25-25 years which are very necessary for mental and spiritual upliftment. In the first phase, from childhood till the age of 25, it was advised to keep the young powerful mind of the person in strict rules, to spend in Brahmacharya Ashram. In this, the child's full attention had to be focused on Yama Niyama as per his nature. He was made proficient in physical and spiritual education.

There was a rule to get married only after the age of 25, that is, to go to the Grihast ashram or the phase of the family life. Since the modern age is the age of science, in which the stimulation of the senses increases very quickly, the origin of the idea related to sex comes very fast, but even if seen in the earlier times, there was no dearth of such ideas. So that the attention of young children should not be distracted, they were made to exercise their senses for complete proficiency in some subject. That is why the heads of some of them were also shaved off. He was forbidden to look in the mirror. They were made to practise Yama Niyama a lot so that the youthful energy within them could be controlled by the senses.

Even in that period, it was asked to choose subjects according to nature, due to which the possibilities of spiritual development could increase in them, that is why all five Pandavas were given subjects according to their nature and they became masters in them as well as. It also led to the development of morality and spirituality.

What I mean to say is that the age in which the fickleness of the senses and the senses of action increases very rapidly, practising Yama Niyama would increase pupils' proficiency in some subjects. This was done to ensure that when the person goes to the grihasta phase, he is ready and adept to discharge his duty and face challenges. I also consider myself fortunate because at this age I was working very intensively on the practice of Yama Niyama etc. 

The purpose of the Brahmacharya ashram was not at all that one should not marry, its purpose was only that at that young age, he should learn to control his sharp energy with knowledge. Let morality be included in that energy. Note that the physical and mental energy is at its peak in the youth, at that time the possibilities of ego coming are also at its peak, but at that time if that energy is controlled by morality, yama-niyama and knowledge, then it will remain through the rest of the life. 

That is why the yogis and sages tried to make the senses knowledgeable through the practice of brahmacharya. At a young age, the mind is taught so much concentration that unnecessary would not come to mind and distract one from the purpose. That is why in the Guru tradition, the disciples were bound for a few years in the rules of Brahmacharya, to keep the mind from wandering.

In modern society, there is no such ashram tradition, but there is no law of marriage for 18 years, it means that he was given full responsibility of taking care of himself so that maturity comes in him. On maturity, he enjoys sex as well as discharge of responsibilities in life.

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