INTRODUCTION
The transmutation of the creative forces is likened to the boiling of water into steam to give a greater power. As you progress in self- mastery, the importance of the transmutation of the creative forces will become apparent to you, subconsciously as well as consciously.
We are very proud that you are interested in brahmachariya, the path to perfection of your instinctive, intellectual and intuitive states of mind. The study of this book will prove to be a big step forward in your spiritual life. Brahmachariya is in the broadest sense the harnessing of the instinctive mind, including the sexual nature. In Hindu culture, brahmachariya is often accompanied by the taking of a vrata, or vow, of celibacy. Brahmachariya is transmutation. The goal of brahmachariya is not to repress the sexual energy, but to transmute it.
RAJA YOGA
HOW TO USE THESE LESSONS
Please study these daily lessons over and over again for several months. There is a short do-it-yourself test at the end of the book. You may wish to quiz yourself by taking it.
You should allot one-half hour, preferably at the same time each day, for your study. But if something happens that prevents you from spending the full thirty minutes, don't let that prevent you from spending as much time as you can, even if it is only ten or fifteen minutes.
Before you begin your study each day, bathe and dress in clean, white clothing. Then sit quietly for a few moments before your home shrine. Perform a simple arati to Lord Ganesha, Lord Muruga and our Supreme God, Siva. Pray for inner guidance from them to complement your study. After the arati and prayers, remain seated comfortably with your back in a straight line, top to bottom, the head balanced at the top of the spine. Consciously relax every part of your physical body. Then breathe deeply and diaphragmatically. Let go of any tensions in your solar plexus. Control the breath. Breathing as a baby breathes--not by moving the chest up and down, but by allowing the diaphragm to lower and expand naturally, moving the abdomen out and in. Think of the action of a bellows, which when expanded creates a vacuum and allows air to enter. Do not force the breath.
When your body is relaxed, quiet your thinking mind. Try to quiet each thought as it enters your mind. If your mind thinks irrelevant or disturbing thoughts, do not let them affect you. Neither hold on to them nor force them away. Let them pass. In time you will be able to control your thinking mind. Become aware of the harmony awakening within you. Feel every part of your body in harmony with every other part by running your awareness through your arms, legs, head, neck and torso. Feel that your entire external being is in harmony with your Inner Being. Then read your lesson of the day. When you finish reading sit for a few moments and absorb the contents.
It is important to at least try to establish this vibration of harmony within yourself, even though you may not be successful, especially at first. Because you are in this peaceful but dynamic state of mind, the words you read will stimulate your own inner knowing. Words are only symbols to convey concepts and ideas from one person to another. The amount of knowledge conveyed or awakened depends largely on the receptivity and quality of the mind of the listener or reader. Absorbed deliberately and thoughtfully into a quiet mind, these word-symbols and their meaning will penetrate deeply and awaken understanding within your mind. This is the way we would like you to approach the study of your lessons on brahmachariya.
TO INTENSIFY YOUR SADHANA
After you have studied this course for some time and have taken the brahmachariya vrata, you may wish to intensify your brahmachariya sadhana. If so, here is a suggested procedure for personal daily vigil. Arise early in the morning, bathe and dress. Arrive in your shrine room precisely at your appointed time. Then begin a 45-minute period of worship, study and meditation as follows:
1) Arati and Pranayama (10 minutes)
Perform a simple arati to Lord Ganesha, Lord Muruga and our Supreme God, Siva. Pray for inner guidance for your study and meditation. During your puja, mentally call the devas to assist you in your meditation. Then perform the pranayama technique described in lesson 22.
2) Reading and Study (20 minutes)
Read the lesson of the day. Read it slowly and study well the contents.
3) Meditation (15 minutes)
Meditate on what you have read.
If you oversleep or for some other reason miss your appointed time, make it a point to spend as much time as you can later on in the day, even if it is only ten or fifteen minutes. Study these lessons over and over again until you feel that you have fully absorbed the contents. There should be no rush to "get through" the course. The longer and more patiently you study, the more benefits you will gain. A six-month period of consistent sadhana based on these lessons will benefit you more than you know.
BLESSINGS FROM THE DEVALOKA
Try to always begin your vigil on time and end on time. Should you have to change your vigil to another time, send a note to the priest at the Kadavul Hindu Temple to be burned in the sacred homa fire to let the devas know about your new time. This should preferably be done three days in advance of the change. (Write "notes to the devas" on the outside of the envelope.)
The devas will be there to assist you at your appointed time in unbroken continuity if you make an appointment with them. They always arrive at the vigil area first, before you do, to prepare the vibration to sustain your meditation. They generate energy in one concentrated place as a thrust to be given to you precisely at the appointed time that your meditation begins. This is why you should begin your meditation at the exact same time each day. If you are late for your meditation, you miss out in receiving this thrust of energy.
While studying this course, you should send regular notes to Lord Muruga praying for His help and blessings. Mail your prayers to the priest at the Kadavul Hindu Temple, and they will be burned in the sacred homa fire, to reappear in the inner world.