True celibacy and its role in meditation

While speaking on the subject of meditation, the Bhagavad Gita touches upon various issues that hold relevance to the everyday life. Among these is the topic of celibacy, a much used, equally much misinterpreted expression. In its most widely known meaning, celibacy or Brahmacharya as it is called, is taken to mean an unmarried male with avoidance of any sort of physical contact with the female gender or even entertaining any such thoughts thereof, with such a person being called ‘Brahmachari’. The idea here is that avoidance of such physical relations with a woman is helpful in steadying the mind from straying towards sense pleasures. The emphasis is on the control over the sense organs. This is certainly true, especially in the context of real ‘sadhakas’ or practitioners who wish to attain greater heights in their single minded pursuit of spiritual attainments.

But, the literal meaning of this term ‘Brahmachari’ is ‘one who is always engaged in contemplation of the supreme power called Brahman’. In other words, withdrawing the mind from all other external attractions of the world and directing the mental activities towards the supreme Brahman is brahmacharya. 

Establishing such control over the mind and focusing it towards the goal of attaining spiritual enlightenment aids in the gradual reduction and eventual elimination of all inborn negative tendencies such as anger, greed, arrogance, pride, vanity and so on. These tendencies, called ‘Vasanas’ in Vedic parlance are the traits accumulated over several previous births and manifest themselves as the aforementioned behavioural characteristics. This, therefore is an inner purification, called ‘Atma Shuddhi or Chitta Shuddhi’, the final aim of all spiritual practices. As Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi says, “annihilation of these Vasanas should be the aim. The state free from Vasanas is the primal state and eternal state of purity”. This is exactly what the Gita says. “While meditating, steady the mind (by sustained practice of ignoring all extraneous attractions and distractions), subdue the senses by reining them in from running towards such things, sit down in a secluded place free from any such disturbances and contemplate on the higher verities of life. Rest all your mental faculties in the Lord.  Experience the inner silence and tranquility (Prashantata). Do this for your own inner purification”.  For ordinary mortals, what greater benefits could there be than this inner cleansing?