In need of much help....

[Guest guest]

My son asked me if pleasuring himself was a sin in our religion, and I truly don't know since my father died when I was younger and my mother did not feel comfortable talking to me about these things. I looked on the internet and couldn't find a decisive answer, so please help me any way you can. I just want to be able to answer my son's question truthfully and straight forward. Thank you any one that offers the answer or where I can find the answer.

 

Let us all praise God in every day of our life.

[Ganeshprasad 0]

Jai Ganesh.

 

a Bramachari preserve its virya to be able to learn and be strong.Virya = strength do not waste it.

 

There is neither Self-knowledge nor Self-perception to those whose senses are not under control. Without Self-perception there is no peace; and without peace there can be no happiness. (2.66)

 

 

The mind, when controlled by the roving senses, steals away the Prajna as a storm takes away a boat on the sea from its destination, the spiritual shore. (2.67)

 

 

And now hear from Me, O Arjuna, about the threefold pleasure. The pleasure one enjoys from (spiritual) practice results in cessation of sorrow. (18.36)

 

 

This pleasure, appears as poison in the beginning but is like nectar in the end, comes by the grace of Self-knowledge; is good or Saattvika. (18.37)

 

 

Sensual pleasures appear as nectars in the beginning, but become poison in the end; such pleasures are called Raajasika pleasures. (See also 5.22) (18.38)

 

 

Pleasure that deludes a person in the beginning and in the end; which comes from sleep, laziness, and confusion; such pleasure is called Taamasika (pleasure). (18.39)

 

I hope this helps.

 

Jai Shree Krishna

 

 

 

[sampath 0]

no,its not a sin at all.Sex aint a sin in hinduism.Hindus even did phallic worship with shivlinga,so it aint a sin.

[Guest guest]

mundane sex has nothing to do with lingam worship

[maadhav 0]

very good answer!

 

may i know whose translation you have used please?

 

 

[Guest guest]

SAMPATH.... are you saying that sex is not a sin or masturbation is not a sin?

[Ganeshprasad 0]

Jai Ganesh

 

Pranam madhavJi

 

Re

(may i know whose translation you have used please?)

 

 

I use several,in this case it was following

translator, Dr. Ramanand Prasad, of the American Gita Society.

http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/gita.htm

 

Jai Shree Krishna

[Rajashekhar 0]

It is not true that Lingam is phallic. Many people including Vyasa fell into that trap, mostly because of the Tantric cult and as a result, Hindus never recovered their self-respect.

 

Linga means an icon, a sign, to represent the Infinite and Omniscient God with a finite object, to adore and to worship.

 

That said, the older day Hindus had the opinion that preserving the Amogha (Wonderful) Rethas or Virya (I won't translate this because there are too many prudes on this group) should be preserved. They had no idea that once the Rethas goes out, it is created/secreted again in the body. Loss of Rethas has truly nothing to do with keeping the body in high energy and good health.

 

Is sex a sin? Not between two consenting adults or when one engages in self-pleasure such as masturbation. A sin is a sin only when someone (man or animal) is hurt, phisically, mentally or emotionally, to derive pleasure for oneself.

[Guest guest]

Self pleasure involves thoughts, if you are thinking of some other female in your thoughts who is not rightfully ur wife. Dont you think you are comitting a sin right there and then ?

[Ganeshprasad 0]

Jai Ganesh

 

Re

(That said, the older day Hindus had the opinion that preserving the Amogha (Wonderful) Rethas or Virya (I won't translate this because there are too many prudes on this group) should be preserved.)

 

You will find that people in this group are more shocked by your attack on Ram and Krishna then what you might have have translated.

 

Re

(They had no idea that once the Rethas goes out, it is created/secreted again in the body.)

 

Oh really.

 

Re

(Loss of Rethas has truly nothing to do with keeping the body in high energy and good health.)

 

So what is your energy leval after ejecting?

i wonder why the sportsman are advised to refrain before the games.

and i suppose there is no energy required to recreate what you loose.

 

 

Jai Shree Krishna

[Guest guest]

In respsonse to "Self pleasure involves thoughts, if you are thinking of some other female in your thoughts who is not rightfully ur wife. Dont you think you are comitting a sin right there and then ? "

 

No. Thought is not a crime."Thought crime" was not outlawed even in nazi regime.Whatever a man thinks, he has freedom to do so.Its only actions and intentions which count and not thoughts.

 

God doesnt wander around with a thought censor in his hand to find out what people think or so.If so then love is crime,because without thinking about a female who isnt your wife you are comiting a sin.

 

[Guest guest]

a man's bad thoughts would create bad karma in previous ages.

 

in this age only bad acts and intentions create bad karma.

 

God is so merciful and sees our weakness that in this age he allows us to accrue piety just for thinking about pious activities - even without action.

[Guest guest]

We dont know how god judges us.But if he judges us on basis of our bad thoughts it would be totally unfair.

 

Thought is not a crime

[Guest guest]

Your answer is very relative, for you may be bad thought is not a crime. Might not be some one else. Your actions are driven by your thoughts, bad action is a result of a bad thought.

 

GaneshPrasadji,

 

Ifully concur with your reply to rajasekhar. Brahmachari's who practice yoga convert the rethas into energy without letting out, they are called Naistika Brahmachari's unfortunately these kind of people dont live longer .

[maadhav 0]

pranam and thanks ganeshprasad ji.

 

may i suggest we use translations by hindu swamis or aacharyas. an academic degree is not necessrily a qualification to be an authority in dharma.

 

 

[sampath 0]

Isnt everything relative?Only christians say lust in heart is a sin and promise eternal hell fire for it.Hinduism is different.It doesnt punish lust in heart.

 

lust in heart is god given.It is natural.Lust isnt a sin.

[Guest guest]

Dont bring christianity here, the laws of hindu dharma are much more stringent than the law of christianity.

 

Where does in hindu scriptures say LUST isnt a sin ? can you please tell.

[sampath 0]

Vedas permit us to marry,to fall in love.There are many instances of kings falling in love after seeing the physical beauty of women.For example sakuntala,dushyanth story is love at first sight.Rishi rishyasrunga fell in love with a king's daughter only by seeing her physical beauty.When its love at first sight,its falling in love for physical beauty-in other words,lust.

 

Arjuna's lust for women is well known.In all these instances lust was involved.

 

So please dont say lust is sin.It isnt.It is a god given ,natural feeling.

[maadhav 0]

read gita to know what krishna says about lust.

if you do not like it, fine;

 

but do not try to preach something that krishna did not say.

 

[Rajashekhar 0]

[self pleasure involves thoughts, if you are thinking of some other female in your thoughts who is not rightfully ur wife. Dont you think you are comitting a sin right there and then ? ]

 

Just thinking of another woman and having a pleasurable thought is not a sin. What is sin? It is created when you intentionally and knowingly hurt someone. I don't understand who is hurt when someone masturbates while thinking of some other woman. But what may happen, if one does not keep his senses under control, is to try to take the next step and have an affair. That may have disastrous consequences when the wife finds out.

[Ganeshprasad 0]

Jai Ganesh

 

Pranam Madhavji

 

Re

(may i suggest we use translations by hindu swamis or aacharyas.)

 

Your suggestions are always welcome.As i said i use many source.Whose translation do you use.

 

Re

( an academic degree is not necessrily a qualification to be an authority in dharma.)

 

true but it can give you un biased translation.if you spot any mistake please let me know.

 

I am glad we agree self control is required.

in the end sin or not (and Krishna is quite clear on this)our desires of pleasures sinful or otherwise binds us to this material world which is full of misry.all the time we are doing what we have done over and over again without any gain,we say just one more time one more drag,but there is no sukh simply chewing the chewed.

 

Jai Shree Krishna

 

 

 

Jai Shree Krishna

 

 

 

 

[sampath 0]

Krishna in Geetha urges us to surrender to him and says that is the highest path to reach him.

 

He doesnt condmen sex,but he asks us not to be totally lost in it.He asks us to raise above it all and attain elightenment.

 

When we reach enlightenment stage sex,money,power everything else is meaningless.Till then it is not wrong to pursue it.

[maadhav 0]

praNam!

 

i use prabhupad's translation.

 

if some vaishnav aacharya has translated sridhar swami's translation into english, then i would be intereted to get access to it.

 

[Guest guest]

Dear sire,

Please tell your son, what ever he is doing is not a sin and let him not carry any feelings of guilt about it. But at the same time tell him it is not manly of him to do so. There is nothing good or bad in world. But there is a higher truth and a lower truth. Tell him to live fearlessly like a Lion and not cheaply as a pig. Ask him to gain enough of self control to be able to view a female image in his mind without his mind wavering. And what is the point of artificial means when you have a real means. I hope this helps.

 

Ask him not to bother about religion but about his own though structure. Does he believe it to be a sin/cheap activity? If so, he shall know the right course of action.