Urdhvareta/Importance of Yoga for Brahmacharya

1. If an aspirant expects supernormal results in a year, he will be sadly disappointed. Nothing like that will happen. A year of unbroken Brahmacharya is nothing compared to eons of a life of ‘Abrahmacharya’ (incontinence.) Such expectations are the result of an impatient mind and impatience goes against Yoga. The Yogi should first learn patience. It might take a few years, a few decades or a few lives to attain self-realization. One cannot know when, nor should he worry about the duration required for results. That is not our concern. Our concern ends at our honest efforts. The results will show, based on our efforts and by the grace of God. Sometimes, no result may be noticeable even after much practice. Certain chunks of past karma being very dense are very slow to dissolve and vacate. When such heavy baggages of karma are being worked at through Brahmacharya, there may be no noticeable development for months and months at a time. It appears as though things have come to a standstill. Yet the Yogi, if he wishes for the ultimate cannot give up. He has to persevere and trod all alone, sometimes in the face of severe obstacles such as illness and disease which surface when past karma denoting these come for fruition whilst being vacated. It is not a rosy, glamorous path, this path of Brahmacharya. So that only the very deserving and meritorious get their hand on the fruit of self-realization, God has made this path very tough and very thorny. It takes superhuman effort to attain to the superhuman results of Yoga. Let there be no doubt about this fact.

Further to a year of unbroken Brahmacharya carried out with regular Yogic practice, a calmer mind, better physical, mental well-being/health and overall improvement in general occurs. The aspirant will have a lesser tendency to revert to recreational sexuality and this gives him a base to develop Brahmacharya further in the spiritual plane. Success in one year of unbroken Brahmacharya means that the aspirant can take Brahmacharya to its true objective (of self-realization) if he persevers correctly and patiently. The first year of unbroken Brahmacharya is the phase where establishment occurs in this lifestyle. It is like a foundation which can be used to construct the building called Brahmacharya which leads to enlightenment. However, all this applies if Brahmacharya is carried out in thought, word and deed, wilfully, with reverence and devotion to the concept and not out of force. Mere forceful practice as in any other field does not yield results. Practice should be carried out with the heart and soul and not mechanically as a chore to be got done with.

At the same time, it remains that a span of 12 year practice of unbroken Brahmacharya with God devotion & meditation is a general period of time that makes the attainment of ‘Kaivalya’ (self-realization) possible. It might even happen earlier; depending on how advanced the Jiva (embodied soul) is [taking into consideration its efforts from previous existences.] It need not take 12 years of practice to become an Urdhvareta (non-semen producing Yogi). Neither does attaining to the state of an Urdhvareta mean self-realization. A self-realized soul is always an Urdhvareta but an Urdhvareta is not necessarily self-realized. It is a state that comes enroute enlightenment and makes the development of certain siddhi-s (supernormal faculties) possible. Again, fancy for such powers leads to nothing but foolish actions leading to setbacks in practice. Hence a Yogi cannot afford to get enamored with these powers. The state of an Urdhvareta is a milestone or foundation for further progress and not the end itself. It is somewhere mid-way or a little more in the journey to enlightenment and not the final state of beatitude itself. It can occur as early as within a few years of unbroken practice with God-devotion and meditation or it may take many lives. It all depends on one’s past Samskara-s (impressions), present efforts and the grace of God. Hence those attempting Brahmacharya should not work with time frames and time limits. It doesn't make sense in terms of reality.

2. The purpose of Asana, Bandha, Nadi shodhana and Pranayama is to help make the body and Prana conducive to meditation leading to Samadhi. Without streamlining and control of Prana, the mind cannot be controlled. Without mind control, the formation of semen cannot be controlled. Without controlling the formation of semen, one cannot become an Urdhvareta. Unless one becomes an Urdhvareta, wet dreams do not stop, ‘Divya Sharira’ (divine body) is not formed and ‘Nirvikalpa Samadhi’ cannot be attained.  This is the importance behind Bandha, Nadi Shodhana and Pranayama. They cannot be omitted, if unbroken Brahmacharya leading to the state of complete freedom from wet-dreams is desired. Also, a basic degree of proficiency is Asana-s (postures) is necessary if Pranayama is to be successfully carried out. Hence all the Anga-s of Yoga are irreplaceable.

Without purity of Nadi-s (astral energy channels) which comes further to Pranayama techniques, meditation will not become successful, for a body with blocked Nadi-s becomes unfit for the free flow of Prana necessary for a calm and serene mind. How then will the aspirant achieve thought-free meditation? It is like trying to build a house on a shaky and weak foundation. The house will collapse without doubt, even before completion. All the Anga-s of Yoga have been formulated by self-realized masters who came to know of these through direct perception after eons of practice. They are specifically designed for proper conservation and transmutation of the vital force without suppression. They cannot be bypassed or omitted by the aspirant whose aim is to achieve lasting progress. The rare cases of people who directly jump into successful meditation leading to Samadhi without the use of the other Anga-s (limbs) of Yoga, represents a minuscule minority. This is due to the presence of strong supporting Samskara-s (impressions) from previous lives, wherein the concerned person has attained perfection in these limbs and can hence surpass them. This approach does not apply to the general aspirant. Even in such rare cases, some basic effort at these Anga-s proves beneficial, like a refresher course.

Apply the schedule of Yogic practices as has been outlined in past answers. The benefits that come from 4.00 A.M wake up followed by an immediate bath, Asana, Bandha, Nadi shodhana and Pranayama leading to meditation cannot be substituted by any other method of practice. It gives the best results. This is the established method of correct practice. The methods of performing all these are available in past answers. If they are followed correctly as per the guidance given, there will not be any trouble. They can also be learnt from a Yoga instructor who is familiar and well versed with these techniques and then applied in the sequence described in past answers. The Guru appears when the time is right. Nothing will happen if one keeps waiting for a Guru, for then, the Guru may never come. It is only strong effort backed with honesty and devotion to God, shown through practice that makes one fit to receive the grace of a Guru. When we strive sincerely, the Guru eventually appears.

3. Brahmacharya should be practiced by conserving and transmuting semen into something higher through adequate physical, mental and spiritual activity. It will not work if sexual energy is suppressed. The energy conserved must be channelized productively. It is normal for aspirants to experience a certain degree of oscillations as regards moods initially, for the mind which had been let free for so many years is now being brought under governance. It resists this change with unpredictable reactions.

An urge for suicide is not the effect of Brahmacharya but the result of some other underlying cause. This is why Asana, Bandha, Nadi Shodhana & Pranayama are important, for unless Prana is stabilized, Brahmacharya cannot be carried out for long. Without these breath control techniques that lead to control over Prana, transmutation cannot be complete and this leads to the possibility of dangerous mental conditions arising from suppression of sexuality. The urge for suicide and much anger is an indication that transmutation is not being properly carried out. Such tendencies are an effect of suppression and will go away if all the tenets of Yoga are applied properly with devotion to God, leading to transmutation. Not giving an opportunity to such senseless emotions, one should make the mind clear with rationality & reasoning and act responsibly. Go through each and every past answer slowly and attentively, absorbing the essence. First get established in the 8 Anga-s of Yoga. Brahmacharya then comes naturally.

ॐ तत् सत्
(That Supreme being is the absolute truth)