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Break, laziness, non-veg food & Brahmacharya

Celibacy/Abstinence/ Break, laziness, non-veg food &

Brahmacharya
Expert: Dhananjay - 2/3/2012
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Question QUESTION: Dear Dhananjay, My greetings to you and my wishes and prayers to God that atleast you in this world kaliyuga would attain realization in this very birth given your strong conviction to help others in this path. 1) I had resolved to overturn my life from that of porn and masturbation to brahmacharya. For close to 2 months, I maintained brahmacharya. However, last week, I had a sudden uprisal in my mind to seek pleasure. I immediately surfed porn and masturbated multiple times until my whole body went tired. At that point of time, I did not feel any

Dhananjay
Expertise
Questions concerning the practice of 'Brahmacharya' to know the self & the means required are dealt with on this site.

guilt despite my 2 months of brahmacharya.I felt I wanna fantsize everything - widows, teachers,teens and it came like a rush.However, in such incidents, how can I overcome such uprisals? I chanted god's nama but its of no use. Am I a jinxed soul who's karma is such that even calling out to god does not help? When even 2 month's brahmacharya cant bring me through, how can go past a year? Also, I am starting to feel the intense urge to masturbate and am afraid it would progress to real live sex(though I managed to be chaste atleast in the body without touching any woman so far). 2) I am suffering from serious lethargy and laziness that waking up at even 9am is a chore and cannot commit to wake up at 4am. I tried being vegeterian for 2 months but ended up eating alot of rice and it made me fatter.Despite satvic diet, I can still feel the lust in me. How come even 2 months of satvic diet is not helping? Then I might as well become non-veg? 3) Can I still follow brahmacharya while eating non veg? Will it have adverse effects in the mind and body? 4) The shastras says God will come to us when we call him. However, despite calling him when I am lusty, why did he not save me or gave me the intellect? If God is the doer, does it mean he made me masturbate and watch porn? 5) I am seriously concerned to take up tribandha. Do you have any video or book which you can recommend for me to follow? I apologize if the qns are long winded. But you are my only real,selfless friend without a face next to god in this world who is guiding this sinner in this world of yoga. I cant ask all these qns to my worldy friends. And you are definitely god sent. I hope you can advice and guide me. Thank you. Chinny. ANSWER: 1. Is it not unreasonable to expect strong sexual Samskaras (impressions) and Vasanas (tendencies) which have embedded over the past millions of births to vacate in a few months time? It takes time, commitment and effort despite falls to progress and finally get established in Brahmacharya. Else, there would have been self-realized souls in every household by the dime and dozen. Some of these past impressions are so strong that the Jiva (embodied soul) needs to undergo the pain of breaks and falls in Brahmacharya to realize of their falsity and give them up. The Jiva at such a stage is not yet convinced of the dangers of recreational sexuality. It still believes and hopes sexuality to be a source of pleasure. It is not yet fully ready for Brahmacharya. Till such a time comes when the Jiva has fully realized the dangers of recreational sexuality and is ready for unbroken practice, and till such a time comes when the body and mind are purged of the very strong sins of past karma, unbroken Brahmacharya does not get established. Veerya (semen) is God. For God to reside within us, we first need to purify and cleanse the place. God does not wish to reside in a foul and impure body, mind. If we wish to retain our Veerya (God), then we should first turn our body & mind into a beautiful, clean, pure and divine residence for the Lord. Then, he will make it his abode without doubt. Then, this body becomes the greatest temple. Then, Veerya (semen) stays within, without the least urge to go out, for it loves being in this beautiful and divine temple-residence. The more one advances towards purity, the longer Veerya (semen or God) stays within. It becomes 'Soma' and 'Ojas', making the Brahmachari into an Urdhvarethas. It makes him the most splendid, godly and graceful human being, "Atmanyeva Atmana tustaha " --"Content in the self by the self" he becomes, wishing good to everyone, for the souls within other beings are no different from his own self. Finally upon self-realization, he becomes God himself. Till then, strong and honest efforts are to be applied without fail even if there occur breaks. Till one reaches that level of purity, efforts are to be Herculean.

Experience
The term 'Yoga' is a derivative of the Samskruth verb 'Yuj' which refers to union. 'Yoga', also called 'Brahma vidy' is the eternal dissolution of the individual 'Aham' (Ego) into the Atman (self) that is the Lord for 'Mukti' (liberation) Mere indulgence in 'sana' or physical postures is not Yoga. sana is only one limb or 'Anga' of Yoga. The eight limbs viz. Yama, Niyama, sana, Prnyma, Pratyhra, Dhrana, Dhyna and Samdhi are the means to Yoga. Brahmacharya or spiritually based continence is one of the important components of 'Yama'. 'Brahmacharya':-"Brahmani charyathey ithi" - "One who has completely surrendered to Brahman, overcome the Ego, and has realized himself to be a tool of the Almighty." Education/Credentials Bachelors degree in Engineering.

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All souls are God himself, hence none are jinxed. But till they strive to realize themselves to be no different from him, God remains out of reach. The more pure one becomes, the more reachable is God. Hence we should persevere to reach him through tireless efforts despite breaks. When one's devotion and commitment to reach him become so strong that one gives up all other objects and one cries with devotion seeking his help, he will respond. It is for us to prove our worthiness and become deserving of the reward. 2. There is no time frame as regards success. It varies from person to person based on one's past karma. Failure only indicates that efforts are not up to the mark. One should persevere till one becomes established. Include wheat products (roti/chapathi) in a veg diet and lessen rice. If efforts are consistent and genuine with devotion to God, the desire to eat meat will eventually fade away. Gradually advance the morning waking time. One runs out of the path of a speeding car while crossing a road. Why? Because one could get killed. Does one complain of lethargy and laziness at such times? No. Such should be the attitude as regards Brahmacharya. One should stay clear of lust, temptation and other negative traits just like this. Lust and temptation are more dangerous than the speeding car. A man who comes under the wheels of a high speed automobile dies immediately. But lust will kill you slowly and painfully through the whole of life. It is slow and painful death surrounded by indescribable sorrow & agony. Now decide if you want to be lazy and lethargic. One should decide and act on this question. 3. It is best to give up meat. If one still feels the desire and succumbs, then one takes the long, tedious way out - That of giving it up through the experience of suffering. You will eventually give up eating meat as you realize the dangers and after much suffering. Why not strive at it from now and bypass the headache? 4. For God to extend his helping hand, one's calls must be pure, honest and genuine with complete trust and loving devotion. There should not be the trace of the Ego. Then, he extends his hand. How can God respond when one completely forgets God, is more intent on lust and temptation and finally remembers God for namesake at the last moment? If the thought of God was predominant, there could have been no lust. Conversely, when there is no lust, we experience God. Hence once should first strive to make things viable from one's side through effort. Then God can help. How can he help us if we ourselves are not ready to accept his help? So let us first strive to our level best to become pure through right thought, right deed and right lifestyle. Then, God's help trickles in without doubt. If we ourselves are not serious but merely repeat his name mechanically, while the mind roams in the forest of sexuality, God cannot help. Did you think God was the doer at the time of masturbating and watching porn? No. You thought YOU were the doer and YOU were the enjoyer. YOU were the one who experienced the resulting sensations and not God. Hence you experienced the break. Hence you had to bear the pain. This was the mistake. Think God is the doer and do every action remembering him, as his medium or instrument, as a service to him. Then, you will not be able to watch porn, masturbate or indulge in any wrong deed. As long as one works through the ego considering oneself to be a separate entity and the doer, one has to suffer or enjoy the resulting karma. As soon as one makes oneself neutral, desire-less and ego-less and merely performs one's life duty as directed by God, the results of actions do not affect the person. Then, God being the doer bears the karma and not us. Since God is the doer and not us, the actions of such a man (God's actions) are always right and never wrong. He can never perform even one single wrong action, as he has become a tool in the Almighty's hands (like a painting brush in the hands of the painter). This is what is meant by "God is the doer and not us". When we realize this, our actions, being those of God are always right. If we forget this even for a second, our individual ego re-surfaces and may make us commit wrong actions. Under such conditions, when we ourselves are not ready to remember him and work as his tools, how can HE take the responsibility of what karma we commit? We become all alone then and have to suffer for our misdeeds, for we assumed doership while committing the act goaded by our individual, desire filled ego. 5. For a pictorial representation of performing Mula Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha and Jalandhara Bandha, see the photos at Swami Sivananda's pranayama booklet : http://www.dlshq.org/download/pranayama.htm When all these three are performed together, it is called Thribandha. It is an excellent tool for Brahmacharya when carried out before Pranayama, Nadi shodhana and meditation. For descriptions on Thribandha, also see: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Celibacy-Abstinence-3564/2011/12/thribandhakhechari (That Supreme being is the absolute truth)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ---------QUESTION: Dear Friend, I thank you for the reply. Its indeed insightful and helpful to my predicament. I have some short follow up queries: I understand we have to fully surrender to god. But does this mean we have to be like stone with no feeling, no emotions and no plans at all? How in essence is surrender to god? Can't we have likes and dislikes? Or cant we laugh or cry according to situations? How can we know for sure what is happening is the will of god? Then where does free will and intellect comes in? Aren't we us who is doing purusharta? If it is self effort that is driving our life, how are we to know we have indeed surrendered and god is doing actions for us? It could be our own self exerted effort right?

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Thanks alot. ANSWER: 1. What is surrender to God? Surrender to God means one makes 'Manava Dharma' (attainment of self-realization) the utmost priority. This aim is the central life purpose of such a man. His mind is forever in the thought of God, trying to work as per the tenets of Dharma (duty) and please the Lord. All other activities are incidental in the life of such a man and not central. He works as per the directions & will of the Almighty with happiness, zest and complete will. He has become a tool of the Almighty. He, as an individual does not exist. He has handed over his body and mind to the Almighty completely. He remains as a witness watching what the Almighty now does with the body and mind without flexing his individual will. Every time his individual Ahamkara (ego) tries to raise its head and assert itself as a separate entity due to past habit, he reminds himself of its falsity and non-existence using his Buddhi shakti (power of intellect) and Viveka (power of inquiry) and negates it. Again, he becomes a witness to what the Lord makes him do without letting his individual ego or desires interfere. This is called 'Sharanagati' (surrender) to God. It leads to the highest bliss and happiness. Such a man is neither intent on action, nor intent on inaction. He is a neutral witness, fully acceding to the commands of the Almighty. The Almighty might make him a lawyer, doctor, carpenter, fisherman or something else. None of these things matter to him. He will work honestly and sincerely in whatever work destiny assigns him (without being attached to both the work and the outcome of his work) as his token of service to the Almighty. All that matters to him is being in thought of the Almighty by making himself a complete instrument of the Almighty. The only desire in his mind is to attain self-realization and reclaim his lost status of being one with the Almighty itself. Why is he like this? He is like this because he has come to know that this world is Maya (illusion) projected by the Almighty and not real. Happiness, suffering, excitement, birth, death etc... all these are the effects of Maya and not real. What then is real? The Almighty full of bliss, knowledge and eternal existence is alone real and we are no different from him, being an indivisible part of him. This much is real. Everything else is false. We are that Almighty himself in reality, full of the highest bliss, indestructible, without birth and death, eternal and all pervading. Knowing it to be such, the man who has surrendered himself to the will of the Lord is intent on reclaiming that Supreme state and depart from this limited human state susceptible to pain and suffering. It is like a king who had forgotten his royalty and became a beggar. Now he has come to know he is not a beggar. He wants to reclaim his kingship and give up being a beggar. So all his mind and energy is focused on reclaiming his lost kingdom. The day to day incidents in his life as a beggar do not matter to him anymore. His eyes are set on the goal of reclaiming his true state - that of a king. Other beggars might ill treat him, rebuke him, insult him or trouble him. But he is not worried and he does not react. Why? Because he is saving and focusing his energies to reclaim that lofty state of a royal monarch. Upon reaching it, none can trouble him anymore. Why then waste time and energy reacting to what others have to say, do or think? He has become wise. The other beggars do not know this. They think their life of beggary is itself everything. They are quarreling among themselves for the pennies and dimes of beggary, having forgotten that they are royal monarchs in reality. People who are attached to the world and its happenings are like the beggars. A man who has surrendered to the Lord and is working for 'mukti' (self-realization) is like the beggar who has come to know of his royal lineage. He no longer worries or gets affected by what happens in his life of beggary. He is working hard and sincerely to get out of his false state of being a beggar (the world) and revert to his real state of kingship (self-realization). He no longer has the mind to get involved in the quarrels which other beggars indulge in, nor does he have the mind to run after the petty pleasures that they crave for from their frugal earnings. His mind is set on something very big. He is calm, silent and very focused. Let people call him names, disregard him or even deprive him of whatever he has. He laughs it all away, for he has come to know who he REALLY is. There is only one thing in his mind, and that is to revert to his true state of kingship. If he achieves this, all his troubles are over for ever. Now does it matter to him whether he appears like a stone? Does it matter to him whether he exhibits emotions? Does it matter if he has plans? He has the greatest plan! The REAL plan. The plan of attaining to the state of a great king. He is extremely happy and full of joy internally, for soon he will be free from beggary forever and become a sought after king. Who wants emotions, feelings and plans now? All these concerned his earlier, unreal life of beggary and its results. He is shortly going to board a flight which will take him into the heavens of kingship - his true state. He cares a tuppence for those meaningless feelings, emotions and distractions which made him go through pain and sorrow. He has realized that all these were only a part of his imagination in the capacity of a beggar and no way connected with the reality of being a king! When we start cultivating this tendency viewing life as unreal and God alone as real, we will know it doesn't matter whether we have likes or dislikes. We raise above likes and dislikes. We have no mind for the likes and dislikes of beggary. This is real 'Vairagya' (dispassion) and such a man is the real 'Sanyasi' (renunciate), not one who merely wears orange robes. We now only want the state of oneness with the Lord. As long as we live in this physical body, we get done with the 'Prarabdha' (past karma which will bear fruit in this life) that we have committed, for we cannot leave without settling that account. There are some due's we have to pay. So we pay them. We do not make new karma which will bind us more into this world of beggary. We remain neutral. We perform as per HIS directions, for HE knows everything, while we don't. We remain humble and in tune with his commands, for HE shows the right way to those who surrender to HIM. This is the idea. 3. When man cultivates this habit of being a 'Saakshi' (witness) to happenings of the world with devotion and surrender to God, the will of God flows through him seamlessly. He becomes the perfect tool of God's expression. He then does not have to think much on what he should do or not do. That is taken care by God. His inner voice (of the Atman) guides him accordingly. The only thing he does is to ensure that his individual ego is kept at bay and not allowed to indulge in wrong activities which take him way from his quest for self-realization. He constantly reminds himself of the falsity of the ego/mind and reality of the ever pure Atman. His efforts are in the direction of whatever it takes to help him reach self-realization and never the opposite. Let God give him any occupation, any work or any kind of activity in the course of destiny. He does all these sincerely to please God, for destiny is also the will of God. But he is never involved in any worldly activity heart of hearts. His involvement in the world is only to the extent of an actor acting in a drama. Just as an actor does not get angry in real life because some character in the drama insulted him, the Yogi does not let the happenings or non-happenings in the

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drama called life to affect his true state. His heart is always with the Lord, thinking and contemplating on HIM. Based on one's 'Prarabdha' (past actions which will bear fruit in this life) and his own will, the Lord creates certain life situations and experiences which one calls destiny. The Yogi goes through these life situations in this drama called life calmly and dispassionately, like an actor, without being affected, for it is only a drama. He knows he has to settle his past karma and its due's, for that is the law of nature. So be it. He is assured of liberation into eternal bliss once these are over if his efforts at self-realization through Yoga & Brahmacharya are honest and sincere. A Horse is tied to a pole with a length of rope. It cannot move beyond the length of the rope. It can travel within this span and not more. The pole is God, the distance from the pole to the end of the rope is one's freewill and man is the horse. Like the horse, one cannot go beyond the rope's length. The pole (God) will not let it happen. The small distance that the horse can travel within this length appears to be one's freewill. When one is under the grip of ignorance, the horse (man) is at the far end of the rope and thinks he can move anywhere (do anything). As he starts gaining knowledge of the self (Atman), the rope winds itself around the pole and he comes closer to the pole (God). The freewill is now replaced to a larger extent by God's will. Upon Kaivalya (self-realization), the rope has fully wound itself around the pole (God) and the horse has become one with the pole. Then there is no freewill. Freewill and God's will have merged into one another in entirety. Horse and pole have become one. Man has united with God. Till this happens, the apparent, limited freewill has to be utilized to perform proper actions which do not bind one to karma. One should be very careful about how one uses this limited freewill, lest it becomes an impediment to getting free from the life of beggary as described earlier. So the wise man never lets his ego interfere in deciding the course of his actions (for it is the ego with its desires which makes man go astray) but stays neutral in adapting God's will. With practice and advancement in spirituality, one will know the will of God without trouble. It becomes easy to decide on what action is to be employed and what is to be avoided, for one is in constant communion with the universal Almighty through a pure life and meditation. The mind of such a man slowly becomes a mirror of the mind of the Almighty. In reality, there was never any freewill. It appeared as though the horse could move around the pole to some extent, but even the length of this rope and its movement was always governed by God, unknown to the horse (man) . That is why this world is the Lord's Leela (divine play). He decides everything. The wise man realizes this and aligns his will with the will of the Lord. The foolish, egoistic man thinks himself to be the doer and ends up tired with much karma, for the horse cannot move beyond the span of the rope. None can go against the Lord's will. At times when one may be in doubt or confused as to the path of action to be adopted, one should try to do that which is right, virtuous, honorable and proper. This is why one should follow a life of Yama-Niyama in Yoga. It helps man to choose the correct path. He will not adopt wrong means to solve any problem and is thus spared of sin. The intellect is made use of to put down the individual Ahamkara (ego) and nothing more. If this much is done, everything slowly starts falling into place. The Almighty being the real doer will guide and lead the Yogi in the correct direction. Life becomes free from stress, strain, anxiety and duress, for we accept the will of God and work within that boundary and do not exert the will of our false ego which is the harbinger of pain. This is the essence of true 'Sharanagati' (surrender). Self effort in the direction shown by destiny and governed by the tenets of Dharma is to be complete from our side but without the employment of ego & desire . Such a man partakes in worldly action merely out of necessity but is not involved from within. He does these actions as service to God and not out of personal desire or ambition. He applies efforts in the direction provided by destiny and then watches silently as a witness. Bound to the outcome of his actions he is not. The only thing of interest for him is to attain self-realization and become one with the Almighty. The world is a passing spectacle and not of any interest to him, except for being a field where he works out his 'Prarabdha'. He is not affected by the success or failure of his actions for he has given his best effort dispassionately. The rest is left to God. Based on one's past karma and HIS own will, God will decide on success or failure, not the Yogi. Since the Lord has been accepted as the doer, the man is only the medium and hence not connected to the fruits. This attitude is beautifully described by Lord Krishna: "Content with what comes through chance, free from the pairs of opposite emotions and envy, even-minded in success and failure, though acting he is not bound". -- Chapter IV/22 - The Bhagavad Gita This leads to accomplishment of the 4 'Purushaartha-s' (aims of man) within his destiny. It should be noted that only that within one's 'vidhi' (destiny - as decreed by the Lord and one's past karma) will come to one and not more. The first three of these Purushaartha-s (Dharma [as in career], artha [wealth], kama [desire]) will be realized to be impermanent after being sated to a certain extent and only the fourth 'Moksha' (liberation) will be realized as being eternal. This is the law of the Almighty. None can go against the same. Hence our self effort must be full as regards to the performance of those actions which lead to virtue and good within the framework of destiny, but without attachment for the fruits. Such actions are called by the Lord as 'Yagnya' (sacrifice). They do not bind the Jiva with karma as they are done with mediumship and not doership. When our efforts in this direction carried out without the backing of the ego are sustaining, the Lord points out the right direction in which we have to persevere. Then, the fine line and fine difference between one's individual will and God's will become apparent as one proceeds spiritually in the right direction. Ultimately, the individual will merges into the will of the Almighty. For this reason also, one should practice Yoga & Brahmacharya, for right thinking and right knowledge of action dawn upon purification of the body and mind through Yoga & Brahmacharya. A polluted mind high on Asath (unreality) backed by Maya (illusion) is incapable of taking the right decision. The same mind becomes able to decide right upon being purified in the fire of knowledge that dawns from a life of Yoga, Brahmacharya, virtue and purity. The Yama-Niyama-s of Raja Yoga have been devised for this very purpose. (That Supreme being is the absolute truth)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ---------QUESTION: Dear Dhananjay,

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I appreciate your great guidance. However, I wish to clarify on some items: 1)You mentioned that in reality there is no free will and god decides the movement and the length of the rope in the horse and pole example? If this world is God's leela, then isn't he doing everything? Even when I am indulging in evil activities, isn't that god working through me? 2) I have personally felt very suicidal at certain points in my brahmacharya. How can these overwhelming suicidal feelings be overcome? Is there a case where it is one's prarabdha karma to suicide in this birth? And what are the consequences of suicide? Will god give me a better life somewhere else and end my worries and depression? 3) For a yogi, you mentioned one should follow ahimsa. However what if one's loved ones are in imminent danger from a robber or something? Cant I use violence to overpower him? And if we follow ahimsa, wont we appear meek and get easily bullied over time? There are stories where even incarnations like durga have used himsa to destroy evil. Cant we mere human beings use violence to attack evil when the need arises, especially when one's honour and life is in danger. 4)Some of my vegeterian friends (who happen to be from brahmins) partake in drinking beer, saying its vegeterian and not made of meat? Also, they say that its ok to partake alcohol(wine,beer) as long it does not affect the senses and keeps you alert. Also, it happens so that wine,beer relaxes the body and is a social lubricant.And they say it is ok to drink as long it does not makes you commit immoral activites. How can a yogi counter argue such smart points which comes from brahmins who have an heritage of strict discipline? I apologize if my qns are long winded. But I am checking your postings almost everyday as it gives me wonderful guidance to change my lifestyle to a yogi gradually. Thank you in advance for your self-less guidance. Answer 1. God remains silent & lets the Jivatma (embodied soul) indulge in negative activity when the Samskaras (impressions) and Vasanas (tendencies) within it for such actions are so strong that it cannot be made to realize the fallacy of these wrong actions without committing them and then undergoing the punishment for the sin. The force of these past impressions and clinging to Avidya (ignorance) in such cases in so dense that there is no other way out but to learn them through suffering. A teacher warns the student not to copy in the exam reminding him it is wrong. What will happen if the student still persists in the act believing it will help him score well? The teacher remains silent and the student is finally caught copying by an invigilator and debarred for a year. The pain of losing a year makes him realize his mistake and prevents him from repeating it again. The teacher is God, the act of copying is because of the Samskara-a (impressions) & Vasana-s (tendencies) and the student is man. We cannot say the teacher induced the student to copy by remaining silent. He had warned him earlier. The act of copying was the result of the student's ignorance and hence he had to pay for it. The teacher does not suffer in any way, nor is he responsible. When the impressions within are so strong that one is not willing to learn things the easy way through the inner voice of the Atman or external advice, God makes us learn things the hard way. This does not mean God makes us do these things. It only means that we ourselves are in such a state that there is no other way for us to rectify ourselves but through committing the act and learning through the pain of resulting suffering. 2. A person who contemplates/tries or commits suicide incurs terrible karma which will need many future births of agonizing pain and suffering to overcome. This body has been given by God to progress towards self-realization. A person who commits suicide tries to superimpose his individual will/ego on the will of God and plans to go against the wish of God by terminating his existence. He indulges in the greatest form of Himsa (violence) towards his own body which has been loaned to him by God. He will have to pay very dearly and through extreme pain in many, many future births for this act of indiscretion. He will find himself in a much worse state in the next birth with much more negative karma. Hence one should never contemplate on suicide . It is an act of escapism which will lead to great suffering and agony in the coming births. One should face life bravely and squarely taking it to be a drama and not get cowed down by the highs and lows. 3. One should develop complete trust and surrender to God and never willfully indulge in any form of Himsa (violence) in thought, word or deed. Such action will bring the best results. If a robber commits a crime, he will have to pay for it without doubt. If we stoop to his level and indulge in violence to counter his attack, then we too commit karma and will have to bear the consequences. There would then be no difference between us and the robber. The correct method is hence not to resort to physical violence but to cleverly tackle the matter using the wisdom & intellect (such as taking recourse to law) under such circumstances. If one becomes unable to stop the crime using such measures, then the best course of action is to go through the incident silently without reacting with physical violence. God being the director of this drama called life will eventually punish all those who deserve punishment either through the arm of law or through life circumstances . It is not for us to take up this job, nor impose our will. An incident from the life of the great, self-realized sage 'Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi' should be mentioned here. In 1924, at the 'Ramanashram' in Thiruvannamalai (Tamilnadu-INDIA), robbers broke into the ashram to commit a burglary. Upon vandalizing the place, they were unable to find anything of value. Angered by the same, they started hitting and injuring Bhagavan Ramana with stones and sticks. Shri. Ramana repeatedly told them to leave as there was nothing of value but the ruffians did not heed to his advice. When they were done with venting their anger, Shri. Ramana exhibiting his greatness, nobility and forgiving nature offered them food to eat and water to drink before they left. A year later, the same band of robbers were caught committing an offence elsewhere and hanged to death by the law. This was the fate they met with further to their wrong acts and further to harming a Yogi who was established in 'Ahimsa' (non-violence). When a man establishes himself in 'Ahimsa' and surrenders to the Almighty, a great deal of strength and power start to adorn him. Such a man does not impose his individual will/ego on any creature. He does not knowingly harm any other

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sentient being, for he see's his own self (Atman) within all other beings. He forgives the misdeeds of others knowing it all to be the play of 'Avidya' (ignorance) effected through Maya (illusion). Then a very powerful and mighty reaction gets set in the cosmos. Those who harm such noble sages are severely punished by the Almighty without doubt when their time comes. God being the director of this drama called life see's to it that no bad action goes unpunished. The wise man does not interfere in the same. He stays fixed to his ideals and devoted to God through complete love and surrender. Goddess Durga is an incarnation of the Almighty. God himself is effecting HIS will through her. This is alright, for HE knows what is to be done and what is to be not. If we try to do the same in our personal capacity, then we are effecting OUR individual will (of the ego) and not HIS will. This is to be avoided as it is incorrect. Hence we should not resort to violence in thought, word or deed but fully surrender to him with trust. HE will take care of such a devotee without doubt. 4. Indulging in any vice be it alcohol, tobacco, drugs, gambling, overeating etc.. and acts such as immorality, stealing, telling lies, harming others (in mind or body), attachment, greed, arrogance and jealousy will lead to degeneration and become the cause of more 'Avidya' (ignorance). Drinking any form of alcohol is a sense enjoyment which leads to the increase of Tamas (inertia). One who is Tamasic is unfit to progress towards 'Brahma-Gnyana' (knowledge of the self). An increase of Tamas leads to an increase in desire, passion, lethargy, stupor and other negative traits. Such a man eventually becomes addicted to the sense pleasure derived from drinking and loses interest in pursuing the very purpose of the human birth namely 'Moksha' (liberation). His 'Sthula Sharira' (physical body) gets afflicted with various diseases in course of time further to alcoholism. His 'Linga sharira' (mental body) becomes attached to the sensation derived from consuming alcohol making his mind weak, lustful, lethargic and bereft of focus. His 'Karana Sharira' (causal body) becomes dense with the karma generated from such sense stimulation (for he has indulged in Himsa against the body given by the almighty) and hence becomes unfit for self-realization. He will have to spend many births to merely overcome this tendency. Who is a 'Brahmana' (Brahmin)? One who is striving for 'Kaivalya' (self-realization) through 'Indriya-Nigraha' (control of the mind & senses), Brahmacharya (continence), Bhakti (devotion to the almighty), 'Shaucha' (internal and external cleanliness), 'Tapas' (austerity), 'Svadhyaya' (study of the scriptures) and 'Nidhidhyasana' (meditation on the Supreme by making use of such knowledge derived from study) is alone a 'Brahmana' (Brahmin) and not merely one who is born to Brahmin parents or who wears a sacred thread. Unless these activities are inculcated and applied in practice, one does not become a Brahmin. Such a man is a Brahmin by birth and not in action. He is of no use to himself or to the society. None of these above activities can be carried out properly by the man who is a slave to the senses (alcohol is a very strong sense stimulant). A drinker causes Himsa to his own body & mind given to him by God. He deviates from the path of 'Brahmanism' by misdirecting his life energy to sating his senses while his duty is to direct it towards self-realization. Hence arguments supporting alcoholism or any other sense addictions do not hold water. They are baseless. Such arguments are the result of a mind colored by 'Maya'(illusion) and not that of an intellect and mind powered by 'Vidya' (knowledge) and 'Viveka' (wisdom). Brahminical heritage must be respected, upheld and made a model to the entire world by strict practice of the tenets supporting it and not merely by birth as Brahmins. Such a man who is a Brahmin merely by birth and not in action is no Brahmin at all but a disgrace to the great heritage of Brahmanism. (That Supreme being is the absolute truth)

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