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3. CHASTITY: Chastity is life and indulgence is death. Continence is a virtue
to be observed for success in all the spheres of life, be they mundane or
spiritual. A clean and chaste life is a fertile soil wherein the Holy Seed of
Spirituality thrives the best. It consists of restraint in thought, word and
deed, as in each case the poison is injected into the depths of the mind and
multiplies with accumulated impurities of countless ages. To cultivate chastity
is an uphill task that requires a long-drawn struggle through life -- something
very strenuous indeed. Fortunate are those who practice celibacy because they
are in a far better position to follow the Path Godwards than those who are
wallowing in the miserable mire of self-indulgence. A normal temperate married
life as enjoined by the scriptures is, however, no bar to spirituality. An analysis of the facts of life will show that normally much
depends upon our environment and mode of living. Diet plays an important part
in the build-up of our mental thinking. The food we take when assimilated in
the system, colors our life impulses in its own color. The very bones and blood
get dyed in the color of the food we take. Adulterated or dead foods cannot be
the source of Life. This is why the Masters on the Path of Spirituality always
insist on complete abstinence from all meats, fish, fowl and eggs (both fertile
and infertile), and from all alcoholic beverages or intoxicants and other
opiates and stimulants, as one dulls the thinking faculty and the other flares
up animal passions within and renders one insensate to the higher impulses in
life. "As you think, so you become," is an age-old aphorism, and to
it may be added, "As is the food, so is the mind." A natural diet, comprising vegetables, fruits, nuts, butter, bread
and cheese, in moderate quantities, is highly nutritious for the health and
strength necessary for carrying on the obligations of life, either earthly or
spiritual. An eminent physician says, "We dig our graves in the kitchen,
and more deeply with our teeth." Moreover, closely connected with this
problem is the far-reaching inexorable Law of Karma -- the Law of Cause and
Effect, or of Action and Reaction. "As you sow, so shall you reap,"
is an adage too well known to need any comments. You cannot have roses out of
tares. Everything in the world, or of the world, has to be paid for. Even our
so-called joys and pleasures require a price. You cannot take away life without
paying the penalty thereof. "The wages of sin," said Christ, "is
death" and you can well decide for yourself if you are prepared to pay for
it. By the observance of Brahmcharya (celibacy), we not only preserve
the vital fluid of life (which is rather an invaluable asset in the physical
body and can in no way be underrated) but it positively helps one in attuning
to the Divinity, already woven into the very pattern of our life but lost in
the mighty swirl of the world. The lost strands of the life- giving threads - the Holy Light and
the Audible Life Stream - as manifested by the Master, cannot be held for any
length of time, unless we are firmly embedded in the life of chastity. A vacant
mind is the devil's workshop, and hence constant repetition of the Charged
Words and Remembrance of the Master are counselled. These act as powerful aids
and help in anchoring the mind and keeping it steadfast in the otherwise
tumultuous sea of life. It should be clearly understood that no amount of
intellectual attainments or sophisticated reasoning can stand by you in an hour
of tortuous agony, only the gracious protection of the Master. Again, ripe
fruits retain their freshness so long as they remain on the branches, but when
once plucked can only be preserved either in honey or in some high grade
refrigerators. The personal Aura of the Gracious Master is the Embalming Honey
and His Loving Protection, the invaluable Cold Storage, where one may find hope
for liberation from this ancient malady. The lives dedicated to the Holy Cause
of God have left behind records of their precious experiences which show in
abundance that there is hope for everybody, provided one is earnest in his or
her endeavors, and provided above all there is proper guidance and help from a
truly competent Master-soul. As every Saint has a past so has every sinner a
future, but nothing can be accomplished without the Grace of the Master Power
overhead. The child-disciple has, of course, to keep himself busy and occupied
in something useful, or at least in repeating the Sacred Charged Names
mentally, shunning bad company and uncongenial environment -- like the study of
obscene literature and art -- and by avoiding looking into the eyes of others,
particularly of the opposite sex, and in strictly taking a vegetarian diet,
conservatively cooked and in strict moderation. These are some of the helping
factors which if pursued steadfastly can bring in sure results in due course of
time with the grace of the Master Power Overhead. Here it may be necessary to say a few words about Brahmcharya.
Literally speaking, it means the Path (the practical path of one's conduct)
leading to Brahman or God. It consists in controlling all the senses and
channelling them in the right direction. In other words, it makes a life of
continence, temperance and self restraint, including total abstinence from all
kinds of unwholesome foods and drinks. A life like this is a sine qua non or a necessity for the
Path Godwards or Brahmanwards, and aspirants are well advised to follow it
scrupulously.
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