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Great
men have spoken in the past about the evil done by the carnal
desire. Remarkably enough, our Vedic dharma has turned the same
into an instrument for the purification of the Self by means of
samskara and by imparting to it an element of propriety. It is
not easy for an ordinary man to go to the forest and live as a
recluse there or become a sannyasin. To become mellow, he has to
go through all the rough and tumble of life, experience all the
joys and sorrows of his worldly existence. In the years of
tenderness he must taste bitter, in boyhood or
student-bachelorhood he must taste astringent, as an unripe fruit
[in youth] he must taste sour and as a mellow fruit [in old age]
he must taste sweet. Ordinary people must go through all these stages
so as to become mellow finally and to be filled with sweetness.
What has not ripened naturally, or by itself, cannot be ripened
forcibly. In this context one is reminded of the words of
Ramalingaswamigal who speaks of a "prematurely ripe and
withered fruit dropping". The sages know that such would be
the result if a man were forced into maturity by going against
nature. The duties of marriage and the life of a householder are
intended to make a person mellow naturally. Besides are there not
many beings that are to be born again as a consequence of their
past karma? How can they be reborn in the absence of the samskara
called marriage?
The
householder has to continue to chant the Vedas he was taught as a
brahmacarin. He has also to teach these scriptures, perform a
number of sacrifices and rites like aupasana and sandhyavandana.
At present the conduct of sacrifices has become rare and not many
learn the Vedas. But the tradition of sandhyavandana and
Gayatri-japa is still followed though only to a very small
extent. I will now speak about the Gayatri mantra.
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"Hindu Dharma" is a book
which contains English translation of certain invaluable and
engrossing speeches of Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamiji (at
various times during the years 1884 to 1994).
For a general background, please see here
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