Brahmacaryeṇa. Brahmacaryeṇa means celibacy. The more you restrain your sex life, the more you become strong for spiritual life. Brahmacaryeṇa. Brahma . . . brahmacarya means to restrain, control sex life. Therefore somebody asked me, "Swāmījī, why you are stressing so much on married life?" I have given this answer to many gentleman in the television, that because we have got a demand for sex life, but if we are restricted with married life, then there is no, I mean to say, illicit sex life. At least we refrain from that.
So it is stated here. These are the rules. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa. Brahmacarya means celibacy; and śamena, control the mind; damena, control the senses. If you can control your mind, then you can control your senses. In the mind is the center of sense activities. If you can control the mind, then easily you can control the senses. And the easiest process of controlling the mind is to fix up your mind in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If Kṛṣṇa . . . Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful. If He is seated on your mind, there will be no chance for anything nonsense coming into your mind. Śamena ca damena ca, and tyāgena. Tyāgena means by renunciation.
These things are to be practiced. It is not that you can go on doing all nonsense and you become (chuckling) spiritually advanced. If somebody says like that, he is simply cheating. He's cheating. Just like a nonsense doctor may say that, "You simply pay my fees, and you can do all kinds of nonsense and you'll be cured." You see. This sort of doctor nobody consults. You see. He says that, "You come and pay me my fees, and I shall give you a mantra. You'll be cured, and you can do all kinds of nonsense."
Will anybody go to that doctor? Any sane man? Similarly, if somebody says that, "You can do whatever you like. You take this mantra and pay me my fees, and you'll be highly advanced in spiritual consciousness," these things we do not find in the authorized books, or Vedic literature. They're all manufactured just to flatter and just to earn some money.
But actually, if you are serious, then as it is stated, that you have to follow the regulation: austerity, celibacy, controlling the mind, controlling the senses, by renunciation, by truthfulness, by cleanliness and by following the rules and regulation. This is stated.
- deha-vāg-buddhijaṁ dhīrā
- dharmajṣāḥ śraddhayānvitāḥ
- kṣipanty aghaṁ mahad api
- veṇu-gulmam ivānalaḥ
- (SB 6.1.14)
Now he is giving very nice example. Veṇu-gulmam ivānalaḥ. Just like in the dry season there are so many dry grasses from the field, and if you have to clear the field, you simply set fire on the field and everything automatically becomes cleansed, similarly, deha-vāg-buddhijaṁ dhīrā dharmajṣāḥ śraddhayānvitāḥ. Those who are intelligent enough, dharmajṣāḥ, one who knows what is real religious principle, and śraddhayānvitāḥ, and who is faithful, he can get out of all kinds of sinful activities by an intelligent method.
What is that intelligent method?
- kecit kevalaya bhaktyā
- vāsudeva parāyaṇāḥ
- aghaṁ dhunvanti kārtsnyena
- nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ
- (SB 6.1.15)
That he says, that simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or devotional service, pure devotional service, vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ . . . vāsudeva means Kṛṣṇa. One who is devoted to Kṛṣṇa, simply by that devotional process, and always being in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, agham dhunvanti kārtsnyena, one can get out of all sinful reactions. How? Nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ. Nīhāram means dews. You have seen in this season, so many dews are on the grass, on the tree. As soon as there is sunrise, everything finished. Everything finished. It is very nice example.
So if you bring forth the sun of Kṛṣṇa . . . these are all products . . . these sinful activities is due to ignorance. Ignorance is darkness, māyā, and Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa consciousness is just like the sun. So now this is night; everything is dark. If some way or other there is sunrise, then immediately the darkness is finished.
So Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that kecit. Kecit. Kecit means it is not possible for all, but some fortunate men do like this instead of going to so many details how to get out of this sinful reaction, simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness and devotional service. Vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ, those who are devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa, agham . . . agham means all kinds of sinful reaction. Dhunvanti kārtsnyena.
Wholesale. Kārtsnyena means wholesale. Kārtsnyena nihāram. Nihāram means just like dews; bhāskaraḥ means sun. As the sun disseminates immediately, dissipates immediately the dews without any effort, similarly, as soon as there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you become free from all sinful reaction.
Another thing, this is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā also, that the Lord says that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66):
"You give up all kinds of bodily religious principles of life." What is that? Kṛṣṇa is asking sarva-dharmān. Dharma means religious principle. Now in one place He said that dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya, "I have come to reestablish the religious principle," and at the end He says sarva-dharmān parityajya. Sarva-dharmān.