Proposed description of Brahmacarya for BBT web site

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I volunteered to write a 500-word description of brahmacarya for the BBT web

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Krishna-kripa das

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Brahmacarya, or student life, is the first of the four asramas or spiritual

orders. The brahmacari, or student lives under the care of the guru, or

teacher, and renders menial service to him in exchange for spiritual

enlightenment. A brahmacari practices absorbing himself in spiritual

consciousness by always hearing and chanting the glories of God and by

rendering service to his guru. The brahmacari lives as simply as possible.

The spiritual happiness he experiences in the discharge of spiritual duties

minimizes whatever difficulty he feels in renouncing material desires.

Celibacy is necessary for student life since the male-female attraction

disturbs the mind and makes it difficult to focus on study. "Brahmacarya,

the life of celibacy, has eight aspects: one should not think of women,

speak about sex life, dally with women, look lustfully at women, talk

intimately with women or decide to engage in sexual intercourse, nor should

one endeavor for sex life or engage in sex life. One should not even think

of women or look at them, to say nothing of talking with them. This is

called first-class brahmacarya. If a brahmacari or sannyasi talks with a

woman in a secluded place, naturally there will be a possibility of sex life

without anyone's knowledge. Therefore a complete brahmacari practices just

the opposite. If one is a perfect brahmacari, he can very easily control the

mind and senses, give charity, speak truthfully and so forth. To begin,

however, one must control the tongue and the process of eating."

(Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.13-14, purport). After a brahmacari completes his

studies, he may either continue in the brahmacarya asrama for the rest of

his life, which is considered a nice facility for spiritual development, or

as most people do, he may marry a suitable wife and enter the second asrama,

grhastha, or householder life. After one's children grow up, the grhastha

gradually becomes detached from household life and resumes the simple life

of spiritual development he formerly had as a brahmacari. This is the third

order of life known as vanaprastha.