Swami Shivapadananda in praise of householders

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha’s
notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.

Day 212

In praise of the householder’s strength, continued:

The householder is so wonderfully great that part of his strength, in
the form of money is given to charity. His strength in the form of work is put
into the garden and surroundings. He visits his friends and relations to bring
about good feelings. How great must that householder be. I prostrate to a
householder like that again and again.

On the other hand, a brahmachari [celibate, dedicated devotee], if he is
a real brahmachari, should not get any more tired than the householder. He
should have three times the strength of the householder. He must have the
strength to give, and give, and give and never feel tired.

But he has to live
absolutely sense controlled, especially containing the vital fluid [semen]. Not
even in dream does he lose it. This turns, as Swami Vivekananda, Patanjali and
other yogis said, into spiritual energy called Ojas – which gives you
concentration par excellence. Why must we control it? Because it can reveal God
to you. It can take you towards God. It makes you control your mind, and the
minds of those who are doing the wrong things, and it takes them on the right
path.

If a brahmachari does not feel like this, or a sannyasi [monk, or
sannyasini – nun] does not feel like this, then one of two things is wrong with
him. Either he is too sick, and must get himself physically, mentally and
spiritually examined – or he is cheating somewhere on the spiritual path, and
in his life he is a cheat and a thief. This is the mirror.

For me the householders are great because I get inspiration from them
and I feel that if I cannot reach the height of a pure brahmachari, or the
pure, complete life of a Hanumanji [the great devotee of incarnation (Avatar) Lord
Rama, featured in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana], then at least let me be like Lakshmana, Bharata, Satrughana [brothers of Rama]. Blessed is the householder who can live with this ideal.

Can you tell me what time Christ got up? Or what time he went to bed?
No. He was ever awake in the name of God, in the consciousness of God. And
anything that touches God never gets tired. Christ did not sleep.