Talks Excerpt 498. Swamiji speaks about Yamas and Niyamas but specifically about brahmacharya for householders and monastics.

From Mother Radha’s recordings of Swamiji.

[Yama and Niyama continued.]

Four: Refrain from incontinence. Observe brahmacharya. The householders [Grihasthas] may want to know how to observe brahmacharya: They must observe mind and sense control on holy days, on full moon days, new moon days, birthdays of saints and sages, and when the wife is menstruating. If you do not abstain at these times you break your brahmacharya, you are not a brahmachari. But at other times, when you do it as a duty, it can be converted into worship because it is a God-given thing. Then, if you restrain yourself, you are observing continence, you are still a brahmachari.

On the other hand the brahmachari, the vanaprastha or the sannyasi are not even allowed to do that.

Swami Yogananda’s father and mother used to get together only if they wanted children. Why? Because the scriptures say that you must not cut the lineage if you are a householder. Sri Ramakrishna said, ‘After one or two children you must live like brother and sister.’

In our scriptures how many children did Gandhari have? One hundred. [laughter] How many children did Sri Rama have? Two. Lord Shiva? Two. Can I go on multiplying? The higher you go the lower you become. The lower you become the higher becomes the number of children. How many children did Lord Vishnu have? He had no children. Do you see? Lord Brahma has shown you householders how to live but you do not want to do it. You are Brahma yourself; you have become a creator and you create in the house. [laughter]

You must create knowing that you are bringing a Rama or a Sita into this world – and then after that put a full stop. Lord Brahma is the best example for the householders because his creation is a controlled way of creation. (Of course you can adopt a lot of children if you want. There is nothing wrong in that, you are doing good.)

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These recordings or the excerpts from them, were made from the early 1970s onward, by Mother Radha, a close devotee of Swamiji’s and edited for uploading here by our gurubhai and her son, Brother Tim. Please be mindful that what Swamiji was saying may have been specific to an individual or a group of people with him, at the time.