Re:Digestive problems/sublimation/rate of progress in brahmacharya
Question
Namaskar Dear Dhananjay,
I am a keen follower of your posts.Your words instill confidence which a shishya would have got in presence of a sadguru(like sivananda himself).
I have gone through all of your answers & go through them daily.
Brahmacharya began for me as a childish vow i gave to my ishta siva for helping me cross over a small & only failure in my engineering paper.I cleared it via revaluation itself but vow's actual significance & glory dawned on me much later.
My question below:
Precap:During first 6 months of my vow(which i very sincerely adopted at 21 yrs) there were no wet dreams as far as I remember & no conscious leakage of veerya either,at the end of that period one day i failed but was surprised to find that no semen was ejaculated.That period was like a different life altogether.There was a complete transformation in me,i enjoyed spiritual discourses & silence much more than anyone around & had a great urge to run away to himalayas/ashram to find someone to guide me.
Q:Can sublimation occur within 6 months if aspirant is sincere?
Precap:I have noticed whenever after a break i again embark on the path i face constipation problems in begining but after a week or two it becomes normal.Color of my nails change(there is a pinkish curve on all my nails whenever i'm in brahmacharya but if i'm not in it the nails become pale white).In mode of brahmacharya my attention gets fixed at top of my head easily during dhyana but not so otherwise.
Q:Can you pls enumerate on above symptoms & their causes/remedies.
Precap:There are many people(me too in start) who couldn't understand any value/enjoyment other than senses.I believe meditation's value lie's in it's ability to overcome the mind while sensory enjoyments are just a way of forgetting/illusion
of mind.This discrimination i think makes the key diff in attitudes of a yogi & bhogi.
Q:Your thoughts.
Precap:My uncontrolled indulgence earlier had ruined my health to a very large extent but since a few years I'm on the path of ideal of brahmacharya.I am more of a mind person..if any doubts persist I can't follow it with any amount of pressure but if my mind is all clear I can't think of nothing else besides that goal.
Q:Is this a god or bad thing as far as brahmacharya is concerned.
Last question:Is there a point beyond which a yogi can't fall?If so why?
Thanks in earnest Dhananjay for going through this lengthy post & your invaluable answers.
Answer
1. Gradual sublimation (conversion of physical semen into Ojas) can start to occur very early itself depending on ones efforts, state of mind and the grace of God.
2. Retention and transmutation of Veerya (semen) increases the overall health and vitality. This enriches the blood and can add a red, healthy glow to the skin and the rest of the body.
All problems within the human system are directly or indirectly linked to the level of Prana (vital energy). When there is a loss of the same, the tendency towards upraisal of a particular weakness or complication (which the person may be prone to) increases.
More Ojas helps one to take consciousness to higher deminsions faster; while loss of the same pushes consciousness to the lower domains. This is why unbroken Brahmacharya is paramount for the attainment of deep meditation leading to Samadhi (superconsciousness)
3. Sense enjoyments are a temporary tingling of the nerves giving apparent pleasure and nothing else. The more such excitement of the nerves, the more is the pleasure and the more is the weakness leading to sorrow after the end of such tingling. Hence the wise donot go after the senses.
Meditation on the other hand works in the opposite direction, leading to calming the body, mind & the nerves. One first overcomes body consciousness and an advanced Yogi who goes into 'Nirvikalpa Samadhi' overcomes his mind consciousness as well, finally resting as the Atman (soul) itself.
4. Doubts and uncertainity lead to a confused state of mind and weaken resolve. When doubts are broken using Gnyana (knowledge of the truth), it becomes easer to maintain the resolve. This is the same with all people.
5. After the Yogi attains final enlightenment through Kaivalya (self-realization), he attains to the point of no return and is liberated for ever. Then there is no fall, for he occupies all space and time, endless & infinite.
ॐ तत् सत्
(That Supreme being is the absolute truth)