There is an incident of the times
of Lord Ram. Two princes - Mesh Bhushan and Kul Bhushan went to a
Gurakul
(boarding, school) for study. When they set out from
home on this noble mission to receive education, no other child was left
behind in the family. On completing their education, when they returned
home they saw a fairy-like, beautiful damsel also standing at the door
beside their mother taking burning earthen lamps in her hands to welcome
them home. At the sight of her matchless beauty, both the princes were
bewitched. Instantly an idea flashed in their mind to marry her. Both the
brokers gave vent to the feelings of their heart unhesitatingly.
Soon the two brothers who were
anxious to marry the same girl entered into hot exchange of words. Seeing
her two sons quarreling at the door, their mother who was eager to greet
and welcome them inquired of them the reason behind their dispute. On
knowing the reality, the mother reproached them saying, "My sons! What
evil thought has entered your mind! She is your sister." Hearing this the
two brothers were filled with remorse and repentance. An overwhelming
feeling of self-reproach possessed them. They determined to renounce the
world then and there and turned back for the forest from their doorstep.
They got initiated as nude Jain monks and performed severe penance in the
hills of Kunthalgiri and attained liberation i.e., salvation from there.
Brahmcharya tapsa raja rashtram
rakshti
I.e., A king defends his nation,
her culture and her people only by observing the vow of self-restraint,
penance i.e., austerity and celibacy.
The mind of a person who is
indulgent in lustful desires always roams in the wilderness of sensual
pleasures. Just as when a forest elephant is separated from its partner -
a female elephant, it becomes mad with lust and the helpless and poor
animal has to suffer untold miseries viz. bondage, torture and even death.
Exactly same is the condition of a lustful person. Being overpowered with
a passionate desire for sensual pleasures in the garb and illusion of
love, he fails to distinguish between what is worth doing or not worth
doing, just or unjust; and thus the poor fellow blinded by lust takes to
the evil path which leads him to his doom.
One who has infatuation for ladies
other than his wife and maintains illegitimate relations with them has to
suffer uncalled for miseries in the world. Ever growing bitterness and
enmity, chopping off his sex organ, public disgrace by being fettered and
imprisoned, forfeiture of all his possessions and even the terror of
murder are possible. He is humiliated and condemned to live as an outcast
in society. Such an ill-fated person gets birth in an inauspicious state
of being in the next world. Therefore, to subdue lust and observe celibacy
by discarding sexuality ultimately proves beneficial to the human soul.
An aged man in Greece used to
impart lessons in spirituality to the youngsters. He would impress upon
the youth the importance of celibacy time and again'. The youngsters began
to ridicule his teaching. The old teacher was in a fix as how to make the
youth realize the great value of celibacy. He hit upon a plan. The next
day when his young disciples assembled in a garden to receive lessons as
usual, they were astonished to see a beautiful damsel sitting on the back
of their teacher and making him move to and fro like a horse.
Being enraged the pupils got ready
to beat the young lady rider black and blue. The teacher checked them from
their hasty foul deed. He instructed them saying, "My pupils! Behold. When
for want of self-restraint, the mind of such an aged man as I am, got
distracted by the amorous looks of this bewitching beauty in my extreme
old age, the youth are inevitably likely to fall victims of such a
calamity. If no reins are put to the mind, and it is given a long rope to
loiter in the wilderness of sensual pleasures, one may have to face many
such ugly situations, where one will have to suffer disgrace and
humiliation."
Celibacy is of two kinds, based on
'Mahavratas' (great vows) and 'Anuoratas' (small vows). He
who for fear of committing a sin neither himself indulges in sexual
relationship with any other lady, nor instigates others for such immoral
traffic, observes the small vow of abstention from sexual relations with
other ladies but his own wife. When a house-holder discards sexual
indulgence even with his own legal wife or shuns illegitimate relationship
with another's wife, he practices the fourth small vow - Anavrata
called 'Parstri tyaga' i.e., discarding illegitimate sex with so
called beloved or illegal co-wives.
Similarly, the house-holder who
regards the body of a lady as unholy, unchaste and foul smelling skin bag
containing blood, excrete and urine, takes her physical beauty and charm,
which excite evil passions in the mind as transitory illusions. He who
accepts all ladies other than his own wife as mothers, sisters and
daughters in thought, speech and action i.e., who believes in the axiom
matrivat padraraishu - 'look at other's wife as your mother'; observes
the great vow of staunch celibates. Sir Edwin Arnold also counsels:
'Touch not thy neighbor�s wife;
neither commit
Sins of the flesh, both unlawful
and unfit.'
Long ago there lived a highly
religious minded and benevolent wealthy person named Sudarshan Seth
in Bharat Kshetra i.e., India. One day he went with his wife to his
pleasure garden for merry making. By chance the king also happened to come
there for picnic accompanied by his queen. On seeing Seth Sudarshan
- a living image of beauty, the queen was enamoured by him and fell in
love at first sight. She began to think in her mind, "Hurrah! Who is this
handsome fellow? Is he Kam Deva - the god of love; or a Nag Kumar - a
royal prince of the Naga dynasty; or a Vidhya Dhar - a celestial being
endowed with divine powers? I have never seen such a handsome man in all
my life so far."
The queen was overpowered with a
sexual desire seeing Sudarshan's face and figure, and well built charming
body. She at once summoned her trustworthy maid and questioned her, "Do
you know who is this stranger in the company of the king? Where does he
live?" In reply the maid asked, "O Queen! Do you not know the renowned
Seth Sudarshan, the richest man of your kingdom?" Then the queen said,
"Oh! Then he is the crown person of our city. Look at him. What a charming
personality and attractive features he possesses! I have never come across
with a matchless man like him, endowed with such charm and beauty to this
day. He is more charming than even the gods in heaven. Have you ever seen
a man with such a blooming face?" Hearing this the maid said, "O Queen! No
human being in all the three worlds can match him."
The queen became restless to hold
Seth Sudarshan in sweet embrace and make him her illegal spouse.
Therefore, shedding all sense of shame and royal dignity the queen said to
her maid unhesitatingly, "O sister! My life is useless without enjoying
the sweet company of this jewel among men. My mind is wavering and has
lost peace ever since the onslaught of his bewitching beauty on my heart.
I cannot live without him. Therefore, try with all your might to fetch
Sudarshan Seth by hook or crook into my chamber to meet me."
The words of the queen left the
maid puzzled and amazed. She cried, "Condemned be this sexual instinct,
overpowered with which a person fails to distinguish between morality and
immorality, and forgets loyalty to his/her spouse."
Of all the physical and mental
ailments and sicknesses, sexual desire is the worst disease. This disease
ruins the life of a person. So long as a person is not a prey to this
disease, he makes attempt for self-uplift through diligence; but for a
mentally sick person, who is a slave to sexuality, it is impossible to get
enlightenment. With this thought the maid humbly offered her pious advice
to the queen, so that good sense might prevail on her. She said, "O noble
Queen! This lack of chastity in you will spoil the reputation of the royal
family and bring disgrace to you as well. Like fire your sexual instinct
will burn the orchard of your humane virtues to ashes."
The maid tried her level best to
make the queen understand the pros and cons of her action; but the queen
blinded by the intense sexual urge in her heart turned a deaf ear to her
wise counsel. On the contrary she commanded the maid to bring Seth
Sudarshan into her palace at any cost. In obedience to the queen's
command, the maid began to make every possible effort to arrange a secret
meeting between Seth Sudarshan and the queen in the royal palace.
Seth Sudarshan was a highly
religious minded and God-fearing soul. He had renounced all worldly
enjoyments and sensuous pleasures. He used to become deeply engrossed in
self-meditation and perform severe penance at night going into a dreadful
cremation ground on the 8th and 14th day of every fortnight of the month.
