Domestic Life and the Carnal Desire

August 20, 2006

(HinduDharma: Brahmacaryasrama)

Great men have spoken in the past about the evil done by the carnal

desire. Remarkably enough, our Vedic dharma has turned the same into

an instrument for the purification of the Self by means of samskara

and by imparting to it an element of propriety. It is not easy for

an ordinary man to go to the forest and live as a recluse there or

become a sannyasin. To become mellow, he has to go through all the

rough and tumble of life, experience all the joys and sorrows of his

worldly existence. In the years of tenderness he must taste bitter,

in boyhood or student-bachelorhood he must taste astringent, as an

unripe fruit [in youth] he must taste sour and as a mellow fruit [in

old age] he must taste sweet. Ordinary people must go through all

these stages so as to become mellow finally and to be filled with

sweetness. What has not ripened naturally, or by itself, cannot be

ripened forcibly. In this context one is reminded of the words of

Ramalingaswamigal who speaks of a "prematurely ripe and withered

fruit dropping". The sages know that such would be the result if a

man were forced into maturity by going against nature. The duties of

marriage and the life of a householder are intended to make a person

mellow naturally. Besides are there not many beings that are to be

born again as a consequence of their past karma? How can they be

reborn in the absence of the samskara called marriage?

The householder has to continue to chant the Vedas he was taught as

a brahmacarin. He has also to teach these scriptures, perform a

number of sacrifices and rites like aupasana and sandhyavandana. At

present the conduct of sacrifices has become rare and not many learn

the Vedas. But the tradition of sandhyavandana and Gayatri-japa is

still followed though only to a very small extent. I will now speak

about the Gayatri mantra.

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