When a man adopts a life of Brahmacharya, he conserves energy that was previously being sexually dissipated. Through semen conservation and transmutation with pure thoughts, words, and actions, one can cultivate “Ojas” (divine energy) and “Tejas” (luster) within themselves. This energy is a manifestation of the universal cosmic power, akin to electricity. A Brahmachari with a large reserve of this energy becomes highly energetic and powerful in all aspects of life.
Just as a strong north-pole magnet attracts iron filings (south polarity), a true Brahmachari exudes positive energy that is naturally appealing to women. However, the aspiring Brahmachari must be mindful of their interactions with women, as lust has a tendency to arise from even innocent contact. To remain on the path of celibacy, one must be humble and always aware of the potential pitfalls of ego, lust, anger, and temptation.
The true Brahmachari understands that their power comes not from themselves, but from the divine power shining through them. It is important to remember that the ultimate goal is self-realization, and that one should never become bloated with ego, but always consider God as the doer. By remaining vigilant, the celibate can overcome obstacles and continue on the path towards their goal.
Attraction towards close family members:
The concept of sexuality one feels for women is itself a product of delusion. It results from ignorance at the innate level. Man, in reality, is the pure soul. The soul, by itself, is beyond sexuality. It has no gender/ age/ form or want. It is imperishable, everlastingly permanent, inviolable and in a state content in itself. Soul in a man or a woman is just ‘soul’, it is the body which has a male or female form. On physical death, it again becomes just the ‘soul’ with no bodily identification.
However, for creation, the great Lord has made it necessary for man and woman to exchange their reproductive elements and produce offspring. This is the primal purpose of the sexual act. Any extension of this act beyond the above said purpose leads man to associate sensual pleasure with this act heavily. He looks up to this act as recreation and relaxation. Further to many lives in this mode of thought and action, he looks at any women not as a manifestation of the ‘soul’ but as an ‘object’ of sex and so-called sexual pleasure. Age, relationship and sometimes even gender (as in the case of homosexuals) become immaterial to him. He looks at every living being only through a sexually tinted sight. The other person is no longer a ‘person’ but only an object of sex. To achieve sexual satisfaction from these ‘objects’, he lies to them claiming true love, manipulates, cheats, and uses cunning.
At the start of adolescence, sexual tendencies of previous lives slowly manifest. A strong curiosity and liking for the concept of sex raises its hood. These result from former indulgences stored in the ‘causal’ body or the ‘karana sharira’, the depository of all our tendencies and karma. At this point in time, if the sex impulse carried over from previous births is very strong, the child might get propelled into unnatural acts of intimacy with siblings or parents without its own knowledge. Before it knows what is happening, it has stepped into ‘forbidden’ ground. Under such circumstances, it forms the duty of the parents to correct, guide and show the right path to the child.
Great sages and saints across the world advocate only one thing. To consider all fellow beings as mothers, sisters, or brothers in effect. There is no other relationship in reality. Once a child is born to a man from one’s wife, the man is advised to lead a life of celibacy looking at his wife as the ‘Divine mother’. These masters were not fools to advocate such an outlook. They did it so man could transcend the concept of the ‘sex delusion’ and get in touch with the real bliss; ‘soul bliss’.
As the saying goes, the past is history. We are totally powerless to alter actions once committed. It is the present which is in our hands. With pure thinking, virtuous living, non-violence, and love/ peace toward the world at large, man can raise himself out of the deepest wells of sin.
Consider what has happened in your life as a bad dream and work towards forgetting it. Avoid and stop the recall of negative thoughts from your past in any form, for this amounts to re-living them. Positive and constructive thoughts make us confident and cheerful. We are all human and we all err knowingly or unknowingly.
An Exploration of Beauty and Purpose
Have you ever considered why youth and beauty are so attractive?
It is not just physical appearance that makes a young man or a pretty girl alluring, but rather a divine power shining through them. The purpose of this attraction is to facilitate mating and reproduction. Once this purpose is fulfilled, the physical body loses its charm and beauty.
In reality, the physical body is not beautiful, but rather it is the divine essence within that radiates beauty. This can be seen in the works of great artists who paint not just the body but also the soul. The difference between an ordinary artist and a classic like Renoir or Rembrandt is their ability to capture the beauty of the soul shining through the physical form.
It is through our connection with the divine that we are able to create and appreciate true beauty, regardless of age or physical appearance. This concept is explored in greater detail in the book “Semen Retention Attraction” by Pranaman.
