Anushasan : Brahmacharya

|| योग: कर्मसु कौशलम् ||

Karyakarta is given three vows. Mananeeya Eknathji insisted on the total purity of the karyakarta. And therefore, the three vows - Shuchita (Purity), Aparigrahita (Non-covetousness) and Ajnakarita (Obedience) are given to all Jeevanvrati Karyakartas when they take Deeksha from Pranav -the Guru of the Vivekananda Kendra. The knowing in details about Brahmacharya and how it is to be protected is to be properly understood which will help in disciplining oneself.

Brahmacharya:
Brahmachari does not mean just an unmarried person or a person who abstains from sex; Brahmacharya has a deeper meaning than that. Brahmacharya means –To lead a life with great self-control to realize Brahman - Oneness.

Practice of Brahmacharya means not to get caught in the thoughts of the opposite sex as that is the most powerful pull for the mind to get deviated from the purpose of being Samadarshi and the Vrittis that arise affect the Yogabhyas.

Practice of Brahmacharya is also required to maintain the purity of atmosphere in the family and society for the proper growth of an individual. Otherwise we can learn the consequences from some of the present-day western societies. There are crèches attached to the schools for children of school-going mothers. The number of unwed mothers and fatherless children is increasing. David Blankenhorn gives a detailed and painful description in his book Fatherless America. The real protection for women and children is not laws or wrapping them up from other's view; the real protection is the practice of Brahmacharya in the society.

Practice of this Yama- Brahmacharya - is given a lot of importance even in the Bhagavad gita – Yadichchhanto Brahmacharyam charanti…. Many times terms such as Atmasamyam, Jitendriyah, indriyanigraha, Yatatma, etc are used to indicate the practice of Brahmacharya.

As there are steps of progress similarly there are also the steps of fall in life. Awareness about those steps helps a person to withhold himself/herself from falling. Awareness helps a person to withhold himself/ herself from falling further, helps correcting oneself. If alert from the beginning, it could prevent from falling altogether.

Thus in practicing Anushasan, it would be very helpful to know about the causes that makes one fall.