In Indian tradition, the human life has been divided into four stages - Brahmacharya (bachelor), Grihastha (the householder), Vanaprastha (forest dweller) and Sannyasa (act of renunciation). Do Brahmacharya and Sannyas take us away from life?
Human life has been divided into four aspects. Brahmacharya means that it is time to learn, to go out and to know things. The next step is to the householder, where he works for the betterment of the world around him, contributes to the creation of the world and mankind. During this time, the knowledge that is assimilated during Brahmacharya is now used, to give a better life to people around. Vanaprastha means that now, after retiring from family life, he is preparing himself for the next phase of life ie sannyasan.
There is a similarity between childhood and sannyas
Sannyas means that the person has attained at least one special level of mental and physical dignity, where material things are not important for him.
When you are born you are born bare, you are given clothes in the future. When you are in a state of childhood you are not in much clothes. But as soon as you enter Brahmacharya, the costume becomes very important for you. You have to wear clothes correctly. The householder has to keep his body covered. Although within his home he has a little independence that he can stay as it is. But in Brahmacharya itself it has to be covered by the right way, this is the rule. Vanaprastha is a kind of preparation. Sannyasa means to become naked like a child once again, to become innocent like a child. The person gets refreshed once more, and becomes free from all kinds of burdens.
Real meaning of Brahmacharya
Generally the process of studying is Brahmacharya, because it is also the process of learning in itself.
It may be that many of you have reached straight home state without going through Brahmacharya. But now is the time to take a step back and go into Brahmacharya stage. Do not try to understand Brahmacharya in a common sense. This is the path of spirituality in itself. This is the process of learning which leads you towards the path of spirituality. It prepares you for real life from within you and from outside.
Generally people think that monks are like stone, which are very hard and rooted. Although this does not apply to all sanyasis, but generally the opinions of the people are the same as most of them have become like this.
Brahmacharya and Sannyas are like a security circle
If you go into the forest, you will find that there are flowers in the thornbush where you can not even reach. Without that rigidity, without the strength of that, in the beginning, without any particular kind of rigid man can not even develop. Without preparing a small barbed circle around you it would not have been possible to start and grow on this path at the beginning. It's just like you plant a tree, in the beginning you create a security circle around it. In the same way brahmacharya and Sannyas are protecting you, so that it does not get ruined by crushing this plant. But the purpose of this process is not to make the person lifeless or harsh. It is just the outer horizon, which we have prepared so that this small plant can not be destroyed.
Sannyasa does not mean distancing life
Sannyas means not to negate life. Sannyas' morale is to move forward on the higher path of life. It may be that for the world, sannyas means to give up something. But it does not mean sannyas. Sanyas means to get the highest height.
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