Can Brahmacharya harm your health in the short or long term?
Contrary to popular belief, Brahmacharya, when practiced with the right spirit, actually cures diseases. A genuine life of Brahmacharya in thought, word, and deed propels a person to a state beyond defects, decay, and even death control.
However, some people make a mistake by assuming Brahmacharya to be a mere physical suppression of the sexual instinct. In such cases, the mind still continues to wander in the world of sexuality, which can cause an opposite reaction in the body, mind, and psyche and even cause diseases.
Brahmacharya is a mode of life that should be practiced with honesty and integrity, with a deep love and trust in God. It’s not about suppressing or repressing the sexual instinct, but transmuting the life force into something higher. The constant ‘sexual need’ that many people refer to is actually a learned trait and a defect resulting from recreational sexuality, while the aim of sexual energy is procreation, not recreation.
Imagine starting a car and pressing the accelerator. The car naturally moves forward. But if you have the handbrake on and try to move ahead, it could cause a broken handbrake, a damaged transmission, or even a shut-down of the engine! The same goes for directing our efforts. When we aim for something, we should direct all our energies in that direction and invest our heart and soul into it, with the innocence and trust of a child.
The practice of Brahmacharya in thought, word, and deed, combined with adequate physical activity, intellectual work, and God-meditation, leads to the conservation and transmutation of semen into Ojas (Divine Energy). This, in turn, eliminates all diseases of the body and mind, leading to excellent health and strength.
The incidence of any disease is because of past negative karma. Brahmacharya negates past karma and takes a person towards self-realization, not the reverse. It can never lead to any disease. More information on this topic can be found in the chapter “Brahmacharya: A Medicine for a Million Sufferers.”
