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PRACTICE OF BRAHMACHARYA
Instincts and appetites form a part of all life on earth. Sense impulses and biological urges are common to animal and man alike. Sex is one of the prominent, most important and absolutely essential aspects of human, animal as well as plant life. Sex is an integral part of life—human, animal and plant. While this aspect of life is regulated by nature in plants and by instinct in animals, in man it is left to his common-sense, intelligence and his developed reason to control and regulate the same. The vast and ancient scriptures of the world offer human society specific rules and regulations in this respect. With regard to India, as a nation, our forefathers followed the do’s and don’ts of the Dharma Sastras in meticulous detail and this, in large measure, contributed to their health, longevity and spiritual welfare.
But alas, in the present-day world, and more particularly among the educated class, in all walks of society and in all age groups, norms of conduct laid down by the scriptures are flouted with so much impunity that we see, all around us, the number of physical, mental and moral wrecks increasing every day. One reason for this sad state of affairs is modern man’s ignorance of his own scriptural treasures.
Swami Sivananda came on the Indian scene, in the early thirties, to blast this ignorance of the people by offering the hoary wisdom of the ancients through the media of his simple English writings. It is well known that spiritual treatises apart, the great Master, whose love for mankind knew no bounds, wrote a number of books concerning health, hygiene and medicine. One such book was "Practice of Brahmacharya" which dealt mostly with the subject of celibacy, and where celibacy was not possible, a regulated sex life. This book has been popular with the public.
This apart, the Swamiji’s thoughts on the subject of sex and sex sublimation are also to be seen here and there spread over his voluminous writings. In the present volume, all of Swamiji’s thoughts and instructions on the subject of sex and celibacy have been gathered up from "Practice of Brahmacharya" and elsewhere, and thoroughly edited, with a view to offering the public, and especially to the younger generation, a working guide to the vital subject of sex sublimation. This has been done as an act of loving service to modern youth who are often left groping in the dark by an irresponsible society. These days we often hear about "juvenile delinquency," but this juvenile delinquency itself is the result of adult irresponsibility. The youth of the world craves for guidance which is often not forthcoming from the parents, teachers or society.
It is hoped that this book of holy Master Swami Sivananda will fill the above-mentioned lacuna and offer the youth of the world the knowledge and guidance which they so richly deserve in a vital area which affects their physical, mental, ethical and spiritual well-being.
We pray that the blessings of the holy Master may pour on all those who may chance to go through the following pages and open up a new chapter in their lives. May all be healthy, happy and spiritually blessed. Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu!
8th September, 1988.
—THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY
But alas, in the present-day world, and more particularly among the educated class, in all walks of society and in all age groups, norms of conduct laid down by the scriptures are flouted with so much impunity that we see, all around us, the number of physical, mental and moral wrecks increasing every day. One reason for this sad state of affairs is modern man’s ignorance of his own scriptural treasures.
Swami Sivananda came on the Indian scene, in the early thirties, to blast this ignorance of the people by offering the hoary wisdom of the ancients through the media of his simple English writings. It is well known that spiritual treatises apart, the great Master, whose love for mankind knew no bounds, wrote a number of books concerning health, hygiene and medicine. One such book was "Practice of Brahmacharya" which dealt mostly with the subject of celibacy, and where celibacy was not possible, a regulated sex life. This book has been popular with the public.
This apart, the Swamiji’s thoughts on the subject of sex and sex sublimation are also to be seen here and there spread over his voluminous writings. In the present volume, all of Swamiji’s thoughts and instructions on the subject of sex and celibacy have been gathered up from "Practice of Brahmacharya" and elsewhere, and thoroughly edited, with a view to offering the public, and especially to the younger generation, a working guide to the vital subject of sex sublimation. This has been done as an act of loving service to modern youth who are often left groping in the dark by an irresponsible society. These days we often hear about "juvenile delinquency," but this juvenile delinquency itself is the result of adult irresponsibility. The youth of the world craves for guidance which is often not forthcoming from the parents, teachers or society.
It is hoped that this book of holy Master Swami Sivananda will fill the above-mentioned lacuna and offer the youth of the world the knowledge and guidance which they so richly deserve in a vital area which affects their physical, mental, ethical and spiritual well-being.
We pray that the blessings of the holy Master may pour on all those who may chance to go through the following pages and open up a new chapter in their lives. May all be healthy, happy and spiritually blessed. Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu!
8th September, 1988.
—THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY
151 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1988
114 people are currently reading
682 people want to read
About the author
Sivananda Saraswati
777 books179 followersSwami Sivananda Saraswati (September 8, 1887—July 14, 1963) was a Hindu spiritual teacher and a well known proponent of Sivananda Yoga and Vedanta. Sivananda was born Kuppuswami in Pattamadai, in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. He studied medicine and served in Malaya as a physician for several years before taking up monasticism. He lived most of the later part of his life near Muni Ki Reti, Rishikesh.
He is the founder of The Divine Life Society (1936), Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy (1948) and author of over 200 books on yoga, vedanta and a variety of other subjects. He established Sivananda Ashram, the location of the headquarters of The Divine Life Society (DLS), on the bank of the Ganges at Shivanandanagar, at a distance of 3 kilometres from Rishikesh.
Sivananda Yoga, the yoga form propagated by him, are now spread in many parts of the world through Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, but these centres are not affiliated with Swami Sivananda's original ashrams which are run by the Divine Life Society.
He is the founder of The Divine Life Society (1936), Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy (1948) and author of over 200 books on yoga, vedanta and a variety of other subjects. He established Sivananda Ashram, the location of the headquarters of The Divine Life Society (DLS), on the bank of the Ganges at Shivanandanagar, at a distance of 3 kilometres from Rishikesh.
Sivananda Yoga, the yoga form propagated by him, are now spread in many parts of the world through Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, but these centres are not affiliated with Swami Sivananda's original ashrams which are run by the Divine Life Society.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
February 26, 2024
Taking a Vow of celibacy and continuing in the path with strict self discipline is difficult in the modern world where everything revolves around pleasure and entertainment. It's easy to abstain from all sort of physical desire with discipline, But mentally being free from all those desire is an unattainable task with constant need of gratification.
This is the second time i have read this book. Pujya Guru Swami Sivananda clearly explained the importance of Brahmacharya for the spiritual seekers and how to stick to the path.
Hoping to implement all the methods so i could be free from the slavery of pleasure and ego. Its a must read for those in the path of realising the supreme being who has no birth and death. Hopefully one day i will be in the presence of " Sat chit Ananda".
This is the second time i have read this book. Pujya Guru Swami Sivananda clearly explained the importance of Brahmacharya for the spiritual seekers and how to stick to the path.
Hoping to implement all the methods so i could be free from the slavery of pleasure and ego. Its a must read for those in the path of realising the supreme being who has no birth and death. Hopefully one day i will be in the presence of " Sat chit Ananda".
October 21, 2018
This book talks a lot about how self control can make u a well blossomed human being.
It talks about celibacy, the reason to be a celibate, it's importance, the process how one can be..
It's a must read for every individual..
After reading this book one can understand how much lust control us and how much we are controlled by our desires and how that blinds us..
It awakens you and makes you stronger than before ...
It teaches how the sexual engery a.k.a life force can be used for our human evolution to a spiritual being "the real self"..
It talks about celibacy, the reason to be a celibate, it's importance, the process how one can be..
It's a must read for every individual..
After reading this book one can understand how much lust control us and how much we are controlled by our desires and how that blinds us..
It awakens you and makes you stronger than before ...
It teaches how the sexual engery a.k.a life force can be used for our human evolution to a spiritual being "the real self"..
December 23, 2019
Favourite Passages:
" Passion for the flesh or body is not pure or real love. It is only infatuation born of ignorance. You do wicked deeds and kill your soul on account of this passion. "
" If we tie a thread into a dozen knots, and then want to untie them and straighten out the thread, we do not go to the bottom knot first, but rather to the topmost one. The topmost knot is untied first, then the previous one or the eleventh knot, then the tenth, then the ninth and so on, till at last we come to the very first knot. We cannot touch the first knot in the very beginning. Similarly, in spiritual life, the first problem is treated last, and the last problem is taken up first. Because, the first is more subtle and more proximate to the realities of things than the later ones which are the evolutes of the causes. The effects have to be taken care of first, and the causes later on. "
" What goes by the name of love of any kind in this world is a desire to possess things, which are considered as instruments capable of relieving us of our stresses and strains. ".
" If we have got a strong interest in something which distracts our attention, the energy goes. Any kind of leakage of energy in any direction, caused by any object or any event or context, is a break in Brahmacharya. "
" So, a lack of Brahmacharya means nothing but the presence of interests other than the interest in Yoga. "
" Objects of the world are not intended for being loved or for being hated. They exist as we also exist. Just as we do not evince any particular emotional love or hatred towards ourselves, and our loves and hatreds are only in regard to things outside ourselves, we can extend this logic to other objects also. "
" in some measure, we cease to be ourselves for the time being when we admire something, love something, or are attracted towards something. "
" Whenever there is a specialized outlook in any particular direction, along the channel of an object or a group of objects, living or non-living, consciousness moves in that direction. No matter what our interest is in that direction, our mind moves. When the mind moves, the Prana also moves. When the Prana moves, the energy also moves. So, one follows the other. Our mental interest in any particular direction draws the power of the Prana in that very direction, and like a charge of electricity, our energies are diverted "...
" In order to attain that upon which your heart is set, you give yourself so totally to it that you have no time for other things. Even great scientists do not have this problem, because they are all the time completely absorbed in their scientific research. "
" You have to rise above sex—not wrestle with it, but rise above it. Because, if you do not have an overall concentrated urge or ambition in life, then the clamour of these little senses becomes a great din in your life. "
" if energy is sufficiently conserved, you can put it to any use that you want, you can attain anything that you wish to attain. But if you are bankrupt in energy, all attainment becomes difficult."
" energy is to be conserved. Conservation of one's energy in order to put it to higher use is the central principle of Brahmacharya. "
"It is inevitable to strive for the economic value and the vital value, because of your earthly nature."
" Where there is Dharma animating and pervading your entire life, there spiritual Sadhana becomes dynamic, rapidly fruitful and progressive "
" What is that highest and supreme value? It is the spiritual value which is God-realization, Atma-Jnana, liberation, divine perfection, highest spiritual consciousness and illumination. That is the supreme value. For that only we have taken birth. That only makes life worth living. No matter how desperate life may be, if you have this one goal that you must attain Divine Consciousness, you will get the strength to overcome and bear all the vicissitudes of life. "I am divine. Temporarily I have forgotten it. And until and unless I attain Divine Consciousness, my life will not be full and I will not remain content."—If that one goal is there with you, no matter what happens to you, all that will look secondary and less important. Whereas, your supreme goal will look the most important of all things; it will dominate your life and it will be enough to take you above all the vicissitudes of life. It will give you strength and definite direction in life, a specific aim in life. And from then on, your life will move in a self-chosen direction. That life cannot be assailed by misfortune. It will not be shaken. Having acquired great strength and power, it will ride triumphant over all the ups and downs of life and move towards the self-chosen goal in a very determined manner. So, the highest spiritual goal it is that makes your life worth living, that gives deep meaning to life. Otherwise, what is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of just eating, drinking, sleeping and one day dying? Doing little petty silly things and one day dying? Death puts an end to all. But what is that which makes life meaningful? Through this life of birth, change, growth, old age, disease, decay and death, you are to attain immortality and deathlessness by making use of this life. You are to attain Divine Consciousness. You must resolve: "I shall become deathless. I shall realize my deathless nature. I shall realize that I am Immortal Soul, Spirit Divine". And you must exert to the utmost to attain that goal. That supreme value is the most important value which gives life real depth, true meaning and a purposefulness. It makes life significant, important, sacred, purposeful. Therefore it is the most important value in life. If that value is there, you get the strength to overcome all difficulties, all the stresses and strains of life, and it is in relation to that supreme value that Dharma acquires an even greater importance, an even deeper significance. "
" No matter how desperate life may be, if you have this one goal that you must attain Divine Consciousness, you will get the strength to overcome and bear all the vicissitudes of life. "
" Dharma must always infill your thoughts, words and actions. Thus, the economic value and the vital value pertaining to your Prapancha or your outer worldly life also should be animated by Dharma, pervaded by Dharma. Then it will lead you to Sukha (happiness). If Dharma is abandoned, then it will lead you to Duhkha (sorrow). This is the simple truth. "
" Money is inevitable; it is necessary. For that also you must strive. But you must strive for it on the basis of Dharma, on the basis of righteousness. Your efforts to earn your livelihood should not be immoral, unethical or unrighteous. "
" So, adhere to the moral and ethical values in life. Never deviate from the ethical standard. Then you will be happy. You may have troubles. People may trouble you and you may have some difficulties; yet you will have happiness. Inside you will have happiness and peace. "
" There is a saying: "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." "
"In the same way, there are machines in the mint and also in sophisticated factories where they select fruits and nuts for export market—they go up a conveyer-belt and different sizes are separated. Anything that is of bad quality gets eliminated and only the best is retained. "
" If an undesirable person tries to enter an exclusive club or restaurant, there are people called bouncers at the door, they will catch hold of him and bodily lift him up and throw him out of the door. He cannot gate-crash and get in. So you must have your own psychological, ethical bouncers within you for all gross gate-crashers in the form of wrong thoughts. "
" Children have less body consciousness than adults, so in one way we are grosser than them. Therefore there is a distinct period when this inner element, this inner principle of sex is not at all felt, it is absent. But then, at a certain age, gradually it is made to start manifesting in various ways."
" The animal level of consciousness is totally identified with the body. And if man's consciousness is predominantly on the level of the animal consciousness, he is far from spiritual evolution, and all tall talk about Yoga, sadhana, samadhi, Super-consciousness or Ecstasy is only talk. It is so much of ideas—so much of words. If you have a good command of words you can talk about these ideas, you can give expression to them. But, if you are always rooted and caught in the net and coils of a gross physical awareness only, and your whole reaction to the outer world of physical things is also upon the physical biological level, then there is a great deal of spade-work to do. "
"If you think: "I am this body, this physical body, physical mechanisms," and therefore being rooted in this awareness, mainly rooted in this consciousness of yourself, naturally, you think of all other beings upon this concept, upon the same level. If someone appears before you, it is a physical body that appears before you, and your reaction to it is also a biological animal reaction. Then naturally it creates a problem right upon the physical level itself. "
" If a woman looks at a man and says: "Here is a male, here is a man," then if this is the only idea that is evoked with regard to the other sex, it means that there is something missing, there is something fundamentally wrong which is not correct and right within that consciousness. "
" So the wife-hood of a woman is the dominant factor in Western society, whereas in Indian society she is primarily a mother, a mother figure, and her wife-hood is nobody’s concern except the man whom she has lawfully wedded as his life's partner. And the common term for addressing a woman in the whole of India from Cape Comorin to Himalayas, from Nagaland to Punjab is mother, mataji, amma. In public she is always addressed as amma. If a husband refers to his wife he never calls her by name, he always refers to her as the mother of my son, the mother of my daughter. And when visitors are there he refers to her as his child's mother Ramu's mother. Thus he brought out the central unique feature of Indian society as distinct from Western society. "
" Those who have some contact with Western society knows what aberrations are going on in this field—especially in the marital field. We know of divorces without limit, a thing which society looked upon with great outrage in the Victorian Era. People were scandalized if a man left his wife and went off with another woman or if a woman left her husband for another man. It was a major scandal. It was a shame! Now, it is the order of the day. "
" Passion for the flesh or body is not pure or real love. It is only infatuation born of ignorance. You do wicked deeds and kill your soul on account of this passion. "
" If we tie a thread into a dozen knots, and then want to untie them and straighten out the thread, we do not go to the bottom knot first, but rather to the topmost one. The topmost knot is untied first, then the previous one or the eleventh knot, then the tenth, then the ninth and so on, till at last we come to the very first knot. We cannot touch the first knot in the very beginning. Similarly, in spiritual life, the first problem is treated last, and the last problem is taken up first. Because, the first is more subtle and more proximate to the realities of things than the later ones which are the evolutes of the causes. The effects have to be taken care of first, and the causes later on. "
" What goes by the name of love of any kind in this world is a desire to possess things, which are considered as instruments capable of relieving us of our stresses and strains. ".
" If we have got a strong interest in something which distracts our attention, the energy goes. Any kind of leakage of energy in any direction, caused by any object or any event or context, is a break in Brahmacharya. "
" So, a lack of Brahmacharya means nothing but the presence of interests other than the interest in Yoga. "
" Objects of the world are not intended for being loved or for being hated. They exist as we also exist. Just as we do not evince any particular emotional love or hatred towards ourselves, and our loves and hatreds are only in regard to things outside ourselves, we can extend this logic to other objects also. "
" in some measure, we cease to be ourselves for the time being when we admire something, love something, or are attracted towards something. "
" Whenever there is a specialized outlook in any particular direction, along the channel of an object or a group of objects, living or non-living, consciousness moves in that direction. No matter what our interest is in that direction, our mind moves. When the mind moves, the Prana also moves. When the Prana moves, the energy also moves. So, one follows the other. Our mental interest in any particular direction draws the power of the Prana in that very direction, and like a charge of electricity, our energies are diverted "...
" In order to attain that upon which your heart is set, you give yourself so totally to it that you have no time for other things. Even great scientists do not have this problem, because they are all the time completely absorbed in their scientific research. "
" You have to rise above sex—not wrestle with it, but rise above it. Because, if you do not have an overall concentrated urge or ambition in life, then the clamour of these little senses becomes a great din in your life. "
" if energy is sufficiently conserved, you can put it to any use that you want, you can attain anything that you wish to attain. But if you are bankrupt in energy, all attainment becomes difficult."
" energy is to be conserved. Conservation of one's energy in order to put it to higher use is the central principle of Brahmacharya. "
"It is inevitable to strive for the economic value and the vital value, because of your earthly nature."
" Where there is Dharma animating and pervading your entire life, there spiritual Sadhana becomes dynamic, rapidly fruitful and progressive "
" What is that highest and supreme value? It is the spiritual value which is God-realization, Atma-Jnana, liberation, divine perfection, highest spiritual consciousness and illumination. That is the supreme value. For that only we have taken birth. That only makes life worth living. No matter how desperate life may be, if you have this one goal that you must attain Divine Consciousness, you will get the strength to overcome and bear all the vicissitudes of life. "I am divine. Temporarily I have forgotten it. And until and unless I attain Divine Consciousness, my life will not be full and I will not remain content."—If that one goal is there with you, no matter what happens to you, all that will look secondary and less important. Whereas, your supreme goal will look the most important of all things; it will dominate your life and it will be enough to take you above all the vicissitudes of life. It will give you strength and definite direction in life, a specific aim in life. And from then on, your life will move in a self-chosen direction. That life cannot be assailed by misfortune. It will not be shaken. Having acquired great strength and power, it will ride triumphant over all the ups and downs of life and move towards the self-chosen goal in a very determined manner. So, the highest spiritual goal it is that makes your life worth living, that gives deep meaning to life. Otherwise, what is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of just eating, drinking, sleeping and one day dying? Doing little petty silly things and one day dying? Death puts an end to all. But what is that which makes life meaningful? Through this life of birth, change, growth, old age, disease, decay and death, you are to attain immortality and deathlessness by making use of this life. You are to attain Divine Consciousness. You must resolve: "I shall become deathless. I shall realize my deathless nature. I shall realize that I am Immortal Soul, Spirit Divine". And you must exert to the utmost to attain that goal. That supreme value is the most important value which gives life real depth, true meaning and a purposefulness. It makes life significant, important, sacred, purposeful. Therefore it is the most important value in life. If that value is there, you get the strength to overcome all difficulties, all the stresses and strains of life, and it is in relation to that supreme value that Dharma acquires an even greater importance, an even deeper significance. "
" No matter how desperate life may be, if you have this one goal that you must attain Divine Consciousness, you will get the strength to overcome and bear all the vicissitudes of life. "
" Dharma must always infill your thoughts, words and actions. Thus, the economic value and the vital value pertaining to your Prapancha or your outer worldly life also should be animated by Dharma, pervaded by Dharma. Then it will lead you to Sukha (happiness). If Dharma is abandoned, then it will lead you to Duhkha (sorrow). This is the simple truth. "
" Money is inevitable; it is necessary. For that also you must strive. But you must strive for it on the basis of Dharma, on the basis of righteousness. Your efforts to earn your livelihood should not be immoral, unethical or unrighteous. "
" So, adhere to the moral and ethical values in life. Never deviate from the ethical standard. Then you will be happy. You may have troubles. People may trouble you and you may have some difficulties; yet you will have happiness. Inside you will have happiness and peace. "
" There is a saying: "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." "
"In the same way, there are machines in the mint and also in sophisticated factories where they select fruits and nuts for export market—they go up a conveyer-belt and different sizes are separated. Anything that is of bad quality gets eliminated and only the best is retained. "
" If an undesirable person tries to enter an exclusive club or restaurant, there are people called bouncers at the door, they will catch hold of him and bodily lift him up and throw him out of the door. He cannot gate-crash and get in. So you must have your own psychological, ethical bouncers within you for all gross gate-crashers in the form of wrong thoughts. "
" Children have less body consciousness than adults, so in one way we are grosser than them. Therefore there is a distinct period when this inner element, this inner principle of sex is not at all felt, it is absent. But then, at a certain age, gradually it is made to start manifesting in various ways."
" The animal level of consciousness is totally identified with the body. And if man's consciousness is predominantly on the level of the animal consciousness, he is far from spiritual evolution, and all tall talk about Yoga, sadhana, samadhi, Super-consciousness or Ecstasy is only talk. It is so much of ideas—so much of words. If you have a good command of words you can talk about these ideas, you can give expression to them. But, if you are always rooted and caught in the net and coils of a gross physical awareness only, and your whole reaction to the outer world of physical things is also upon the physical biological level, then there is a great deal of spade-work to do. "
"If you think: "I am this body, this physical body, physical mechanisms," and therefore being rooted in this awareness, mainly rooted in this consciousness of yourself, naturally, you think of all other beings upon this concept, upon the same level. If someone appears before you, it is a physical body that appears before you, and your reaction to it is also a biological animal reaction. Then naturally it creates a problem right upon the physical level itself. "
" If a woman looks at a man and says: "Here is a male, here is a man," then if this is the only idea that is evoked with regard to the other sex, it means that there is something missing, there is something fundamentally wrong which is not correct and right within that consciousness. "
" So the wife-hood of a woman is the dominant factor in Western society, whereas in Indian society she is primarily a mother, a mother figure, and her wife-hood is nobody’s concern except the man whom she has lawfully wedded as his life's partner. And the common term for addressing a woman in the whole of India from Cape Comorin to Himalayas, from Nagaland to Punjab is mother, mataji, amma. In public she is always addressed as amma. If a husband refers to his wife he never calls her by name, he always refers to her as the mother of my son, the mother of my daughter. And when visitors are there he refers to her as his child's mother Ramu's mother. Thus he brought out the central unique feature of Indian society as distinct from Western society. "
" Those who have some contact with Western society knows what aberrations are going on in this field—especially in the marital field. We know of divorces without limit, a thing which society looked upon with great outrage in the Victorian Era. People were scandalized if a man left his wife and went off with another woman or if a woman left her husband for another man. It was a major scandal. It was a shame! Now, it is the order of the day. "
March 8, 2022
Completed my second reading of this book. Much clarity and clear headedness is present in it. The right attitude towards sensory enjoyment and desire is given, which is much useful. The ills of a sensous life, along with the glory of Brahmacharya is well explained. Good practical techniques, both from hatha yoga and mental attitudes that one can have are also given. Illustrative stories, quotes from the scriptures and real-world anecdotes are given too, which are an added bonus.
March 26, 2018
This book really changed my life. A must read
September 24, 2018
A must read for this gen. No book explains everything so clearly and boldly. Kudos and RIP SWAMIji.
May 23, 2020
Great source of knowledge revealed to especially youth and households.very thought provoking book ,it throws lights into our way of life ,everyone should read it and Imbibe the qualities to attain Atma bhav ,the purpose and practices given are extremely conforming.
Swamiji focuses on self restraint for the prosperity of the world and condemns all the ingenue tricks of the worldly life.he appeals the youth to serve their motherland and bring glory to it,
Our inner is completely a part of our outer ,so dwell more into yourself to bring about a sense of experiencing transcendence .saint says to see women as goddess and encourages to see the body as a mix of all excretory fluids which are of no use when you pass away,so don’t plant a seed of carnal thoughts.
Swamiji focuses on self restraint for the prosperity of the world and condemns all the ingenue tricks of the worldly life.he appeals the youth to serve their motherland and bring glory to it,
Our inner is completely a part of our outer ,so dwell more into yourself to bring about a sense of experiencing transcendence .saint says to see women as goddess and encourages to see the body as a mix of all excretory fluids which are of no use when you pass away,so don’t plant a seed of carnal thoughts.
March 22, 2017
A must read. Swami Sivananda nicely explains the importance of Brahmacharya in life & how to adopt ourselves to it
July 18, 2021
According to this book it's a sin to even converse with women, because while it "does not cause the actual loss of semen, yet the semen is separated from the blood and it tries to escape when opportunity arises, either in dreams or in other ways. [..] man enjoys mentally."
Not sure whats up with this guy if he mentally "discharges" when looking at a woman or converses with her. this is a whole lot of useless talk and i can not recommend anyone touches this book :) There is some useful stuff on the topic but really not worth it to read all the other stuff
"If you keep lemon juice or tamarind juice in a golden cup, it is not spoiled or tainted. If you keep it in a brass or a copper vessel, it gets spoiled and becomes poisonous. " - MADMONQ Sivananda Saraswati
Not sure whats up with this guy if he mentally "discharges" when looking at a woman or converses with her. this is a whole lot of useless talk and i can not recommend anyone touches this book :) There is some useful stuff on the topic but really not worth it to read all the other stuff
"If you keep lemon juice or tamarind juice in a golden cup, it is not spoiled or tainted. If you keep it in a brass or a copper vessel, it gets spoiled and becomes poisonous. " - MADMONQ Sivananda Saraswati
May 23, 2021
Very informative book.
April 6, 2021
I agree with the premise that the path of Bramacharya yields positive results for the practitioner, but I find many of the author's supporting practices and rhetoric to be impractical, dangerous, idealistic, and misogynistic.
Impracticality: The number of supporting practices for maintaining Bramacharya is exhaustive and unrealistic. This is an overview, but by no means a complete list:
-Yamas (non-harming, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy/temperance (bramacharya), non-hoarding
-Niyamas (cleanliness, contentment, self discipline, self study, surrender)
-japa (mantra repetition) in the morning and at night
-sattvic diet (vegetarian, energy giving food)
-saltless diet
-mitahara (moderation in diet)
-no late dinners (apparently they can cause nocturnal emissions)
-pee and shit before bed if possible (both can cause pressure leading to nocturnal emissions)
-fasting
-sleep on a rough bed on your left side
-wake before 4 am
-satsanga (spiritual talks/gatherings)
-hip baths (essentially dipping your balls in cold water)
-sadachara (good conduct)
-physical/verbal/mental Tapas frmo Chpt. 17 of Bagavadgita
-sama (equanimity)
-dama (self restraint)
-atmic vichara (Self Inquiry - Who am I?)
-Brahma Bhavana (knowledge of Brahman as advaita/non dual essence of everything)
-eliminate passions: stimulants, intoxicants, cinema/TV, novels, bad company, gossip, vanity, parties, etc.,
-viveka (discrimination between real self and unreal body)
-vairagya (detachment. ex. keep a human skull around to remind you of your impermanence)
-vow of celibacy
-specific asana postures: sirshasana, sarvangasana (both help flow of semen towards brain) matsyasana, siddhasana, padangusthasana, mula bandha (kegel), jalandhara bandha (throat lock), Uddiyana Bandha (diaphram lock), Nauli Kriya (diaphram lock for organ massage), Maha mudra, yoga mudra, alternate nostril pranayama, bhastrika (bellows breath) pranayama
-look down while walking
-Imagine women to be disgusting meat bags filled with puss, mucus, blood and guts
Dangerous: The author recommends practices that are straight up bad for your health and potentially deadly. Some examples:
-no salt in diet.
-there is no harm in practicing complete continence (hello prostate cancer)
-vajroli mudra: stick a 12 inch silver catheter up your urethra and practice sucking up milk, oil, honey, and finally mercury. Eventually, train yourself to suck up through your urethra without the aid of the catheter. Yes, you read all of that right.
Idealistic: The author takes his personal experience and dogmatic view of celibacy and argues that it should be adopted by all of society. His insights about the benefits of Bramacharya are valid and real, but he makes the mistake of the idealistic hippies in the 60s who tried to spread their psychedelic insights without understanding that you can't just snap your fingers and make everyone else see and understand what you have. The experience of long term Bramacharya is as ineffable to the average person as the psychedelic experience, and it is completely unrealistic to push it onto an unfamiliar society expecting it to stick. I would respect him more if he simply shared his personal experiences for the reader's interpretation without slamming his doctrine down our throats. One example:
-Schools should teach self-restraint based abstinence-only education. The author quotes Gandhi, arguing that self restraint is more effective than contraceptives. This is particularly ironic considering that Gandhi was himself a repressed, sex-obsessed celibate who in his old age increasingly encouraged women to sleep naked with him in his bed even though they were not allowed to do so with their own husbands according to the rules of his segregated Ashram.
Misogynistic: The author clearly does not have any understanding of the female experience which leads him to make Naïve claims like this one:
Sex is even more damaging for women than men because for women "intense sensuous excitement of the act shatters the nervous system and causes debility". Anyone who has actually fucked knows that women are charged and energized by good sex, certainly not debilitated. Women gain energy from sex for all the energy that men seem to lose (everyone knows the trope of the man falling asleep after the act).
I would respect the author's claims considerably more if he had any understanding whatsoever of the female experience. Instead, he spends an inordinate amount of time in his book encouraging men to avoid contact with women, imagine them as vile meatbags, etc. The whole scheme is a recipe to develop a woman-hating/avoidant complex instead of a woman-loving attitude (in the general platonic sense) which should be one of the aims of celibacy.
Impracticality: The number of supporting practices for maintaining Bramacharya is exhaustive and unrealistic. This is an overview, but by no means a complete list:
-Yamas (non-harming, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy/temperance (bramacharya), non-hoarding
-Niyamas (cleanliness, contentment, self discipline, self study, surrender)
-japa (mantra repetition) in the morning and at night
-sattvic diet (vegetarian, energy giving food)
-saltless diet
-mitahara (moderation in diet)
-no late dinners (apparently they can cause nocturnal emissions)
-pee and shit before bed if possible (both can cause pressure leading to nocturnal emissions)
-fasting
-sleep on a rough bed on your left side
-wake before 4 am
-satsanga (spiritual talks/gatherings)
-hip baths (essentially dipping your balls in cold water)
-sadachara (good conduct)
-physical/verbal/mental Tapas frmo Chpt. 17 of Bagavadgita
-sama (equanimity)
-dama (self restraint)
-atmic vichara (Self Inquiry - Who am I?)
-Brahma Bhavana (knowledge of Brahman as advaita/non dual essence of everything)
-eliminate passions: stimulants, intoxicants, cinema/TV, novels, bad company, gossip, vanity, parties, etc.,
-viveka (discrimination between real self and unreal body)
-vairagya (detachment. ex. keep a human skull around to remind you of your impermanence)
-vow of celibacy
-specific asana postures: sirshasana, sarvangasana (both help flow of semen towards brain) matsyasana, siddhasana, padangusthasana, mula bandha (kegel), jalandhara bandha (throat lock), Uddiyana Bandha (diaphram lock), Nauli Kriya (diaphram lock for organ massage), Maha mudra, yoga mudra, alternate nostril pranayama, bhastrika (bellows breath) pranayama
-look down while walking
-Imagine women to be disgusting meat bags filled with puss, mucus, blood and guts
Dangerous: The author recommends practices that are straight up bad for your health and potentially deadly. Some examples:
-no salt in diet.
-there is no harm in practicing complete continence (hello prostate cancer)
-vajroli mudra: stick a 12 inch silver catheter up your urethra and practice sucking up milk, oil, honey, and finally mercury. Eventually, train yourself to suck up through your urethra without the aid of the catheter. Yes, you read all of that right.
Idealistic: The author takes his personal experience and dogmatic view of celibacy and argues that it should be adopted by all of society. His insights about the benefits of Bramacharya are valid and real, but he makes the mistake of the idealistic hippies in the 60s who tried to spread their psychedelic insights without understanding that you can't just snap your fingers and make everyone else see and understand what you have. The experience of long term Bramacharya is as ineffable to the average person as the psychedelic experience, and it is completely unrealistic to push it onto an unfamiliar society expecting it to stick. I would respect him more if he simply shared his personal experiences for the reader's interpretation without slamming his doctrine down our throats. One example:
-Schools should teach self-restraint based abstinence-only education. The author quotes Gandhi, arguing that self restraint is more effective than contraceptives. This is particularly ironic considering that Gandhi was himself a repressed, sex-obsessed celibate who in his old age increasingly encouraged women to sleep naked with him in his bed even though they were not allowed to do so with their own husbands according to the rules of his segregated Ashram.
Misogynistic: The author clearly does not have any understanding of the female experience which leads him to make Naïve claims like this one:
Sex is even more damaging for women than men because for women "intense sensuous excitement of the act shatters the nervous system and causes debility". Anyone who has actually fucked knows that women are charged and energized by good sex, certainly not debilitated. Women gain energy from sex for all the energy that men seem to lose (everyone knows the trope of the man falling asleep after the act).
I would respect the author's claims considerably more if he had any understanding whatsoever of the female experience. Instead, he spends an inordinate amount of time in his book encouraging men to avoid contact with women, imagine them as vile meatbags, etc. The whole scheme is a recipe to develop a woman-hating/avoidant complex instead of a woman-loving attitude (in the general platonic sense) which should be one of the aims of celibacy.
November 15, 2020
This book is hard to rate. I enjoyed it for a number of reasons -1) it gives an interesting insight into Indian culture and viewpoints of the early 20th century when Swami Sivananda Saraswati was writing, and 2) it elucidates the power of Brahmacharya and the potential of the creative force and Tantric principles of sexual transmutation. Where the book falls short is in some of it's rather dubious outdated scientific claims, some of the editing and grammar (a translation after-all I believe), old-male centric language which comes off as sexist to a modern reader, and the drastically negative view it takes of sexuality, and sensual enjoyment. I can recommend some of the principles regarding conservation and judicious use of vitality to the discerning reader who can pick and choose what parts to head, but otherwise there is much here that, if followed directly, would lead to psychological suppression of the sexual instinct in a way that I don't believe is healthy or endorse. That said for those following the traditional path of Yogic Bramacharya/celibacy this book is likely an invaluable resource.
July 31, 2019
Practice of brahmacharya is a true jewel and should be read by everyone who is trying to take charge of their life.
One may decide not to follow it entirely but even if he/she follows some of it, the effects will be transformative.
Many aspects of brahmacharya are embodied by men and women of today who are worthy of admiration and deference from the world.
It is a lesson in self restraint that our materialistic world desperately needs.
One may decide not to follow it entirely but even if he/she follows some of it, the effects will be transformative.
Many aspects of brahmacharya are embodied by men and women of today who are worthy of admiration and deference from the world.
It is a lesson in self restraint that our materialistic world desperately needs.
Read
October 7, 2021MUST, NOT, BE, HORNY
October 21, 2024
PRACTICE OF BRAHMACHARYASivananda Saraswati
Sri Gurudev Swami Sivananda Saraswati was a modern sage. Their clarity of Vedic Literature is unparalleled. They had attained the ब्राह्मण-साक्षात्कार!
Swamiji teaches us that Brahmacharya is the only way of Life! The 'PARAMOUNTCY OF BRAHMACHARYA' is that it is a master key to open realms of health and true happiness and bliss.
By ब्रह्मचर्य साधना, Longevity, Glory, Strength, Vigor, Knowledge, Wisdom, Wealth, Virtues, Morals, Ethics, and devotion to the truth increase.
Brahmacharya offers immeasurable benefits, yet many people are unable to experience these advantages due to ignorance, a deluded mind, and a lack of understanding.
In India, teachers imperatively emphasize the practice of Brahmacharya and the importance of celibacy, guiding students from primary school to embrace these principles through the pursuit of wisdom.
This book and other enormous literature published by Swamiji's organization, Divine Life Society, is available here for free to download! https://www.dlshq.org/download/
Sri Gurudev Swami Sivananda Saraswati was a modern sage. Their clarity of Vedic Literature is unparalleled. They had attained the ब्राह्मण-साक्षात्कार!
Swamiji teaches us that Brahmacharya is the only way of Life! The 'PARAMOUNTCY OF BRAHMACHARYA' is that it is a master key to open realms of health and true happiness and bliss.
By ब्रह्मचर्य साधना, Longevity, Glory, Strength, Vigor, Knowledge, Wisdom, Wealth, Virtues, Morals, Ethics, and devotion to the truth increase.
Brahmacharya offers immeasurable benefits, yet many people are unable to experience these advantages due to ignorance, a deluded mind, and a lack of understanding.
In India, teachers imperatively emphasize the practice of Brahmacharya and the importance of celibacy, guiding students from primary school to embrace these principles through the pursuit of wisdom.
This book and other enormous literature published by Swamiji's organization, Divine Life Society, is available here for free to download! https://www.dlshq.org/download/
January 5, 2021
This is mostly a compilation of lectures given by Swami Sivananda Saraswati and some other pieces from other commentators. It is useful information to get a better idea of what Brahmacharya is about but it is in no way complete and is full of what I would call inappropriate language and ideals for a contemporary audience. I recommend it as an introduction but I believe there are better sources out there for a complete treatise on this subject. Perhaps review the works of Samael Aun Weor as well as JJ Semple and possibly Mantauk Chia as alternatives.
June 16, 2021
An excellent book on celibacy and preserving the vital force. However, a few of the guidelines are rather strict; this truly is the Olympics of Realization. Still, many of the lessons (taking cold hip baths, headstands, etc) are wonderful advice that anyone could benefit from. Preserving the vital fluid for even a month at a time would bestow great benefits, as opposed to releasing it every day or a few times a week.
The short stories at the end of the book were also great to read. Blesses to you, Swami Sivananda!
The short stories at the end of the book were also great to read. Blesses to you, Swami Sivananda!
June 1, 2024
Wonderful book ! A very clear and crisp book for the Sadhakas. Has answered every possible questions which can come to the mind of the sadhakas… some key takeaways from the book..
- take Satvik diet avoid evening meals and replace it with light fruits and milk with some ginger.
- wake up early, sing Haris name in variety of ways, when tired study religious books, do selfless service, write mantras on notebook , remove pebbles from road, do swimming
- work on Sama (mind control), Dama(body restrain) and Vivek simultaneouly
- contemplate on Brahman when desires come.
- take Satvik diet avoid evening meals and replace it with light fruits and milk with some ginger.
- wake up early, sing Haris name in variety of ways, when tired study religious books, do selfless service, write mantras on notebook , remove pebbles from road, do swimming
- work on Sama (mind control), Dama(body restrain) and Vivek simultaneouly
- contemplate on Brahman when desires come.
November 11, 2022
This book is one of the most misogynistic books I have read. I tried to hang in there for a large chunk of the book. When it turned racist against Africans I just had to put it down. Sure there are a few gems in there but the negatives far outweigh the few bits of advice the book may have to offer. Hard pass for me.
February 13, 2022
To confuse Brahmachrya with celibacy or sex abstinence is a mistake of the ignorant mind. To expound it as the way of the "Brahma" is verbal gymnastics. This book is a mentor for the Sadhaka to find his/ her way.
May 30, 2025
Now i've become death , destroyer of worlds .I am Shiva , I am able to create and destroy . when you ejaculate , you will destroy . only sex for the purpose of procreation . Incel , Brahmachari , Monk or a nofapper all of these labels create the best of men .
June 17, 2020
Possible I am underrating. Read it a decade ago. Need to confront this giant once again. I really do.
December 18, 2020
Mindblowing!
October 10, 2021
One of the best books i have ever read it!I recommended to anyone!
May 30, 2022
Excellent for would be monks
July 21, 2022
Note, the audio version and the book itself appear to differ so I will be going through a closer reading
June 23, 2023
Very informative book on brahmacharya.must read for today's youth who are senselessly indulging in sensual pleasures.
March 27, 2024
Great book to understand,the deep inner workings of the strongest potential energy available to man, from what ,where ,when why?
June 25, 2024
"This is, the way". Great book on celibacy and how to master it.
February 2, 2025
Bit too extreme for me, a good read nonetheless. Read it in a hammock by a waterfall in Shenandoah.
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