Filip Misic, 19 November 2017
Hare Krishna everyone, please accept my humble obeisances.
I was wondering, why are there so many married people in ISKCON temples? Is celibacy good if one feels like it is not a huge difficulty for him? Please enlighten me.
your humble servant,
Filip
Rakesh, 20 November 2017
Hare Krsna Filip prabhu
Please accept my humble obeisances
That is a wonderful question. As far as I know, Srila Prabhupada said something like that if one can stay a celibate, one should stay like that. Can’t say if it is good or not because your question has a conditional answer.
Celibate life is blissful and those who can stay like that are very fortunate because of the wonderful opportunity of service and association that they get.
Coming to the first question, it is not easy to stay Brahmachari. I heard from one senior brahmachari that it is not easy even to decide to join Brahmachari ashram, what to stay of staying a celibate lifelong. Also, even if one joins brahmachari ashram, Maya Devi is always trying to lure him somehow or the other. As I heard from one another devotee, the envy of the jeeva against Krsna is Why Krsna is the enjoyer and the desire is that s/he wants to be Krsna. So that envy and desire is there in living entities’ hearts unless they are pure. Since living entities’ have been in this material world since millions of lifetimes, the conditionings are strong.
Many brahmacharis change their ashram for many different reasons. It is difficult to say what exactly may be the reason.
Hope I have been able to answer in some way.
your insignificant servant
Rakesh roshan
Filip Misic, 20 November 2017
Hare Krishna Rakesh Roshan prabhu,
Please accept my humble obeisances
Thank you for your answer, especially for enlightening me about how I should not let my guard down. As a university student I can say that I feel Maya breathing down my neck every day. Therefore I would like to humbly ask you to please pray for me so that I get more strength.
your humble servant,
Filip
Nikhil Mishra, 20 November 2017
Hare Krsna
I heard in one of the audios of Srila Prabhupada lecture that if one can live a celibate life easily then he should live else he should marry.
He says that Marriage is not prohibited in our movement but hypocrisy is !
Rest, personally, with experience i have understood that to overcome maya , one’s efforts are just not sufficient, grace of Krsna is also required.
My philosophy has been to eat well, stay healthy, do prayers, avoid extremes and keep exploring truths behind words said by Guru and shastras. Thankfully I am getting helped. God seems to listen to my prayers.
wishing you best
not so advanced in krsna Consciousness –
Nikhil
Filip Misic, 20 November 2017
Hare Krishna Nikhil
Thank you for your great advice.
Even less advanced in Krishna consciousness,
Filip
Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 27 November 2017
Thank you for a great conversation everyone!
Hare Krishna!
Would like to bring to your attention that marital status and celibate status are not mutually exclusive.
Srila Gurudeva is married for over 30 years, but celibate for over 47 years.
I am married, but celibate also. The Krishna consciousness movement is full of such people who are married but also celibate. Of course, not all married couples within ISKCON are celibate, but if at least one of the couple is formally initiated as a disciple of a spiritual master, then celibacy is required.
The essence of the matter is this, from the Thought For the Day 26th Nov 2017:
Question: Sex Outside of Procreation?
My husband and I have been married for many years. Because of health problems, I can’t have any children. Is it illicit if we have sex?
Your student
Answer: It is Illicit
In this case, you must practice celibacy. Don’t sleep together. Sleep in separate rooms, if possible, or at least in separate beds. Non-procreational sex is illicit. It is a waste of valuable energy that should be engaged in Krishna service, where you will get unlimited benefit instead of temporary titillation of the gross material senses.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
In Vedic society, marriage is for a gentle society… most men can’t go through life alone, they need the kind of support and encouragement that only members of the female gender can provide. And most women need protection, at the very least to stave off unwanted attention from animal-like men. When a man and woman work together, they can do much more together than the man or woman individually.
In Vedic society, there are 4 Ashramas, or “positions of shelter” – Brahmacharya or unmarried life, Grihastha, or householder life, Vanaprastha, which could be single or married, but focused on spiritual advancement, and Sannyas, or the renounced order of life. In all the orders of life, one is expected to remain Brahmachari, or celibate, except that the householders have a license to engage in sex for procreation and also some more facility for somewhat luxurious life – because the Grihasthas technically work hard to support the other 3 orders – none of the other orders work for a living, the Grihastha is meant to support them all.
The married householder who lives for the sake of sense gratification is not known as a Grihastha, such persons are known as Grihamedhi, or a person who meditates on sense gratification.
Regardless of external status, one is meant to be internally always in Krishna consciousness, where celibacy is a natural by-product.
Srila Prabhupada quotes this verse in many places, but here it is from the purport to SB 9.19.16:
Therefore, by the practice of bhakti-yoga, one should give up his lusty desires. As explained by Śrī Yāmunācārya:
yadavadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-pādāravinde
nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt
tadavadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne
bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭhu-niṣṭhīvanaṁ ca
When one is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he gets more and more happiness by discharging duties for Kṛṣṇa. Such a person spits on sense gratification, especially that of sexual enjoyment. An experienced, advanced devotee is no longer interested in sex life. The strong desire for sex can be subdued only by advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/9/19/16/
And he repeats that verse here too, in the purport to BG 2.60
quote
Without engaging the mind in Kṛṣṇa, one cannot cease such material engagements. A practical example is given by Śrī Yāmunācārya, a great saint and devotee, who says:
yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-pādāravinde
nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt
tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne
bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭhu niṣṭhīvanaṁ ca
“Since my mind has been engaged in the service of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and I have been enjoying an ever new transcendental humor, whenever I think of sex life with a woman, my face at once turns from it, and I spit at the thought.”
Kṛṣṇa consciousness is such a transcendentally nice thing that automatically material enjoyment becomes distasteful. It is as if a hungry man had satisfied his hunger by a sufficient quantity of nutritious eatables.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/2/60
Please note that sometimes that quote is misunderstood as a misogynist view that Yamunacharya is spitting at women an Srila Prabhupada is endorsing such a thought, no, Srila Yamunacharya is spitting at the thought of sex indulgence because of his deep Krishna consciousness which provides him with the highest pleasure, and Srila Prabhupada is encouraging us to be fully Krishna conscious.
I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das
Filip Misic, 27 November 2017
Hare Krishna Mahabhagavat Prabhu,
Thank you for your answer. Although I am sure all these answers do not only help me, but others as well.
your humble servant,
Filip
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