The
following text I received in my Email box from Sri Sri Avadhuta
raya Prabhu (Nitai).
Though in good intention and with the aim
of spreading the selective days for conceiving a child, I published the
articles under headlines of "Sex is part of Life". This
headline is only to give meaning to the subject and get a clear viewer-ship,
by this way spreading the message. Frankly,
I did mention the avoidable days which are meant for Pithru Pooja,
prayer and days such as Amavasya (Amavasai), Ekadasi, Poornima Pournami),
Pradamai (the immediate next day to Amavasai & Pournami) etc.
- which are especially allocated for
devotions
for God. It is not at all against the Srivaishnavam or its principles to
be precise and practical as far the creating a
new generation, thus following the Astrological considerations given in
the ancient scripts. I can surely sum it up as logical finding to
consider this as a subject for Every individual, rather than only for Srivaishnava! However, my aim and intentions are sometimes, misunderstood and it got the adverse effect than getting a good deal of
realism.
My
published article on SEX is only just to give a better
choice of future generation - a progeny of worthy ones (and never propagate
anti-Srivaishnava feeling), and to find a fairly balanced gender
selection - In fact, I got more
than 1000 Emails from different part of this globe appreciating the
article. Purely based on the astrological point of view,
the said article is published, just to give a warning as to which are
all the days that is to be avoided for sex, especially if
one considers for conceiving. It certainly doesn't mean, rest of
the days for sinking in the act! To add value and meaning to our
life, one should follow the below given article, that will relieve one
from many sins.
The
following text I got from Sri Sri Nitai Prabhu, really an eye opener not only
to all Srivaishnavites, but also for the entire Universe.
As the entire message is just Surrender to the Lord Sri Krishna, than to
any other materialistic pleasures. Oh, if
every visitors and reader can follow this in their day to day
life!...... Go ahead...find the meaning of life, just as a part one's
own soul searching. I am not editing a word from his mail and putting
the entire contents as I got from Sri Sri Nitai Das Prabhu.
Warm
regards and my sincere thanks to Sri. Sri Nitai Das Prabhu. for giving the following
wonderful article, which would surely help the entire society.
TRS
Iyengar
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Dear TRS Iyengar,
I found
on your website some ideas, not written by you, that are a bit
different from a generally accepted Vaisnava philosophy. I felt the
Vaisnava viewpoint should be more emphasized because its purity can
help all sincere souls on spiritual path to make quick progress in
attaining the ultimate
goal,
the spiritual abode of Sri Vishnu Or Krishna.
Hare Krishna,
Pranam to all, readers.
I was very surprised to read in this website that there is some cheating
information about sex and immediately remembered
that, in the name of spirituality many so called 'enlightened
sadhus' are propagating that sex is good. After
Sri Iyengar Prabhu gave a nice points about the auspicious time when
to have sex, so that the parents get
good progeny, I wanted to add some spiritual considerations as
well, that can be helpful for everybody who desires
to attain the ultimate spiritual goal.
First, one should
strictly follow pure religious
principles as laid down in the bhakti literature of the Vedas. All other
paths will keep one
in
this material world. That's why Krishna say in the Bhagavad-Gita traigunya-visaya veda
nistraigunyo bhavarjuna - "The Vedas deal mainly with the
subject of the three modes of material nature.
O Arjuna, become transcendental to these three modes". (Bg 2.45) So,
Krishna is urging Arjuna
to give up the path of the Vedas that will keep one in this material
world. He wants him to
become transcendental and so, to become established in
the self. To do
that Krishna advises Arjuna
to give up all kinds of cheating religions (kaitava-dharma) mentioned in
the Vedas and surrender
only to Him, Krishna.
Sarva dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja.
Now, concerning sex, only when it is done according to the religious
principles it is pleasing to Krishna.
That means there should be no desire for personal sense-gratification.
Such sense-gratification
according to the Bhagavad-Gita is in the mode of passion, rajo guna and
it will end
in
misery, rebirth etc. So, if you like to read forward this essay, I have
given here some of my notes
about sex, that I made while reading the words of different real sadhus
who are strict followers
of the path of bhakti, and some other notes I took from the scriptures.
Have a nice
reading.
ONLY IN MARRIAGE - Sex life should be restricted to persons who are
married. Sex life is the cause
of material bondage, and therefore it is prohibited in three asramas and
is allowed only in
the grhastha-asrama.
SEX ONLY WITH WIFE - According to scriptural injunctions, one is
forbidden to engage in sex relationships with
any women other than one's wife. All other women are to be considered as
one's mother. But in spite of
such injunctions, a man is still inclined to have sex relationships with
other women. These propensities are
to be curbed; otherwise, they will be stumbling blocks on
the path of self-realization.
RESTRICTED SEX - SACRIFICE restricted, unattached sex life is also a
kind of yajna (sacrifice) because
the restricted householder sacrifices his general tendency toward sense
gratification for higher,
transcendental life.
In this way, he have sex only to beget a nice son, who he will also
cultivate to become a pious person devoted to
Lord Vishnu. Putrayate kriyate bharya, putra-pinda-prayojanam.
ONLY FOR CHILDREN - Sex should be used only in marriage for begetting
nice, good children. Good
children means not rogues and thieves, but one who can understand God.
Krsna says in the Bhagavad-Gita that
I am sex life performed according to religious principles. Sex life for
any other purpose means illicit sex. The
use of contraceptive method for sex enjoyment is very sinful.
VEDIC REGULATIONS - The Vedas prescribe, therefore, sacred marriage for
regulated sense gratification. Thereby one
is gradually elevated to the platform of release from material bondage,
and the highest perfection of liberated life
is to associate with the Supreme Lord.
FAMILY LIFE IS NOT CONDEMNED - So family life is not condemned. But if a
man forgets his spiritual
identity and simply becomes entangled in material affairs, then he is
lost. His life's mission is
lost. If one thinks, "I cannot protect myself from the attack of Maya
- illusion," then let him be married. That
is prescribed. We don't have illicit sex life. If you want a girl, if
you want a boy, get married. Live in Krsna consciousness.
A HELP OF A GOOD WIFE - Without a fixed wife, a man becomes a debauchee
of the first order and
is a nuisance in society--unless he is a trained brahmacari, vanaprastha
or sannyasi. Unless there
is rigid and systematic training of the brahmacari by the expert
spiritual master, and unless the student is obedient,
it is sure that the so-called brahmacari will fall prey to the attack of
sex. There are so
many instances of fall-down, even for great yogis like Visvamitra. A
grhastha is saved, however, because of his faithful
wife.
AIMING TO THE GOAL - "with an unagitated, subdued mind, devoid of
fear, completely free from sex
life," the yogi meditates on Paramatma, making Him "the ultimate
goal of life." (6.10-19, 31)
BAD RESULTS OF SEX - Impatience is due to loss of determination, and
loss of determination is
due to excessive sex. Being overpowered by the mode of passion - rajo
guna, he can easily slip
even lower to tamo guna and thus continue his material existence in this
material world, life
after life.
MEDIA, THE CAUSE OF IT - E.g. television damage the growing ups and
the grown ups in so many
ways. To name a few, it creates sex mania, increases violence, causes
vocabulary loss, and diminishes family
communication.
IN KALI YUGA - Stri te bhunkte ca hi rati viprate sutram eva hi - man
and woman [are] united in marriage
relationship simply on sex urge, not on the religious principle. That we
have seen.
THE MATERIALISTS - When a person is devoid of devotional service, or
Vishnu-bhakti, he takes to
many sinful activities. King Puranjana left home, neglected his own wife
and engaged himself in
killing animals. This is the position of all materialistic men. They do
not care for a married chaste
wife.
They take the wife only as an instrument for sense enjoyment, not as a
means for devotional service.
To have unrestricted sex life, the karmis work very hard. They have
concluded that the best
course is to have sex with any woman and simply pay the price for her,
as though she were a
mercantile
commodity. Thus, they engage their energy in working very hard for such
material acquisitions.
Such materialistic people have lost their good intelligence. They must
search out their
intelligence within the heart. A person who does not have a chaste wife
accepted by religious principles always has
a bewildered intelligence
CONCLUSION - Smaranam is one of the important methods of any process of
yoga. That means one should not think
of the opposite sex but about Krishna or Vishnu and His service.
smartavyam
satatam visnur vismartavyo na jatucit
sarve vidhi-nisedhah syur etayor eva kinkarah
(26)
Vishnu, or Krishna, should always be remembered and never forgotten at
any time. All the rules and prohibitions mentioned
in the scriptures should be servants to these two principles.
This is only possible when one becomes detestable to illicit sex life,
whether in married life or outside of
marriage. A disgust, to even think about sex is the beginning of
spiritual life. Thus, if the grihastha - a spiritual practitioner
in household life, develops firm decision to not think, and not to
indulge in unnecessary sex, in the future
he will be able to develop his love and attachment to Lord Vishnu and,
if he chose so, to even become a first
class
sannyas with great determination.
The following text I took from
http://www.people.nnov.ru/celibate/brhat/sri.htm
It's very interesting and highly instructive for proper execution of
spiritual life.
If a Vaishnava (Sri Vaishnava in original Tamil text) engages in
improper relationships with women (or
women with men) the following types of anarthas or results, one
has to face.
01. By this, his/her body is affected badly and so it is an anartha
or unwanted thing.
02. Seeing him others may also follow suit. so it is an anartha for them
and also to the woman who is
spoiled by him. (the above two results can be seen in this very birth
itself)
03. By indulging so one disrespects the sastric injunction that "
one should not engage in a relationship (illegal) with a woman. if
he does so surely the path way to hell is open".
04. He will also incur the wrath of the lord, because the lord has
told," ajna'chedhee mama drohi -- one
who violates sastric laws are my enemies"
05. Because of such illicit actions he will incur the wrath and anger of
Vaishnavas or bhaagavatas.
06. By the same said reasons he will incur the wrath of his spiritual
master also.
07. It will increase opportunities to associate with like-minded persons.
(It is said in tiru malai (song
number 16)-" when I associate with persons who are interested in
sense enjoyment I also fall
into the illusory traps of the dangerous eyes of women.
08. Such engagement is contradictory to his eternal nature as that of
being enjoyed by the lord, because
the thought that " sense enjoyment is very nice "is a
stumbling block to realize his eternal nature
as a servant.
09. Because one has to make so much endeavor to enjoy sex pleasure it
is a great stumbling block
to the thought that "the Lord is my only
means and he is my maintainer."
10. Because one may no longer think or will be able to think that
"the service to my lord is sweet",
it is an anartha.
11. As said in tiru vaay moli (ThiruvAymozhi - Prabandham) - if one engages in sex
enjoyment then he will not get
parama pada or the supreme destination. As
further said in the song - if one worships other demigods in some lifetime he may become a Vaisnava, but one who engages his mind in sex
enjoyment always attains hellish planets, because
once he engages in such things his involvement
in it will keep on growing.
So, if a Sri Vaishnava engages in illicit relationship with women (or women
with men) then JUST AS A CROCODILE WHO HAS CAUGHT HIS PREY'S LEGS WILL
NEVER LEAVE IT WITHOUT COMPLETELY SWALLOWING IT TILL HEAD, sense
enjoyment completely devours the nature of a devotee. This is the
opinion of Sri Periya Vaachan pillai, another Sri Vaishnava acharya