It’s absolutely true that chastity in thought, word and deed (this is of paramount importance since mere physical chastity has limited benefits) makes a person notable in every aspect of life.
Let’s get into the rationale behind the above statement. ‘Semen’ or the seed in a man as per Hindu scriptures is the seventh and final tissue element of digestion, bestowed with the amazing power to create life. From food comes—chyle, from chyle—blood, from blood—flesh, from flesh—fat, from fat—bone, from bone—marrow and finally from marrow—semen.
According to Ayurveda, the ancient Hindu medical science, conversion of each element at every step takes five days. Thus, semen is the last element that is formed out of food. It takes approximately 30 days and 4 hours to complete this cycle. Scientists believe that an intake of 32 kgs. (70 pounds) of food produces 800gm of blood, which in turn forms only 20gm of semen. Now, you can see how precious semen is! and all of this nearly gets lost in a single ejaculation!
When a man shifts from a life of ‘seminal wastage’ to one of ‘seminal conservation’, the body conserves the large amount of energy which was earlier used to produce and replenish the lost reserves of semen. Mind you, this energy saved is of considerable magnitude. This will answer your query regarding the energy and zest which you felt when chaste. This, however, is only the initial stage benefit.
For man to successfully conserve his ‘seed’ in the long run, it becomes necessary to be chaste in thought, word & deed in totality. Mere physical restraint from sex/masturbation makes the body retain the seed for a certain period, say a few months at most, after which a normal man loses his sperm thro ‘nightfall’ or a wet dream. Our ancient sages have recognized the fact that for man to succeed continually in seminal conservation, he, along with physical activity, should have a chaste, pure mind constantly engrossed in creative work & meditation upon the blessed lord, thereby leading to chastity in totality. Semen, in reality, has three major functions:
1. To rejuvenate and revitalize the physical body.
2. To help develop a keen intellect.
3. To aid a man to realize his ‘Self’ (This is a spiritual pursuit).
A man intending to succeed in conserving and transmuting his semen and deriving all the benefits from his efforts should ensure that he subjects his body firstly to adequate physical activity or sport, secondly to intellectual, worthwhile pursuits and thirdly sets aside some time of the day for spiritual practices. Any deficiency in the magnitude of the corresponding activity will make that part of the semen to flow out in a ‘wet dream’.
A chaste man besides effectively conquering the downslide of ageing starts to develop a magnetic personality and a cheerful disposition. Some state in the great spiritual treatises that one who succeeds in the conservation and transmutation of semen effectively without a break for 12 years is endowed with unrivaled. This shows the importance of ‘Brahmacharya’.
For semen to get fully reabsorbed into the body,it requires continued periods of celibacy in thought, word and deed beyond three to four months. During this time, if unchaste thoughts were to be entertained, semen flows out in a wet dream and no reabsorption occurs. The first three to four months of.
Celibacy does not involve reabsorption to a large extent but comprises non-production. The body which was earlier required to replenish lost reserves of—Semen now gets a breather and reduces this process. Removal of onus on the body to generate and ready semen results in increased vigor and vitality.
The reason frequent erections are observed in the beginner celibate is because of the previous conditioning of the mind and psyche towards constant sexual activity. As celibacy gets longer and longer, this unnatural need of the mind and body for sexual gratification reduces.
For innate details on how this process works, you may read ‘Three States of Semen’ from the book ‘Semen Retention Benefits’ By Pranaman.
