BRAHMACHARYA - 18. ROLE OF DIET IN SEX CONTROL - Sri Swami Sivanda - The Practice of BRAHMACHARYA Celibacy

BRAHMACHARYA - 18. ROLE OF DIET IN SEX CONTROL - Sri Swami Sivanda - The Practice of Celibacy - HQ Full Book.

Diet plays a critical role in supporting Brahmacharya (celibacy) by influencing both the body and mind. According to Swami Sivananda, the purity of one’s food significantly affects mental clarity, emotional stability, and physical energy. The chapter emphasizes that Sattvic (pure) foods help maintain mental tranquility and moral discipline, while Rajasic (stimulating) and Tamasic (dulling) foods incite passions or lethargy, making Brahmacharya difficult to practice. 

The Connection Between Food and Mind
Food serves as the link between the body and the mind, influencing emotions, thoughts, and actions. Swami Sivananda explains that each type of food affects specific compartments in the brain and the overall system. Foods with stimulating properties can provoke sexual desires and disturb the mind’s serenity. For example:

• Garlic, onions, and meats are stimulants that incite passion and disrupt inner peace.
• Foods like sparrow meat directly excite reproductive organs, highlighting the power of diet on biological urges.

The author draws a parallel between dietary habits and behavior by observing nature: herbivorous animals such as cows and elephants, which subsist on plant-based diets, are calm and gentle, whereas carnivorous animals like tigers, feeding on meat, are aggressive and turbulent. This natural analogy underscores the importance of a controlled diet for spiritual aspirants.

Sattvic Foods: The Foundation of Brahmacharya
Sattvic foods are considered pure, nourishing, and conducive to mental and spiritual development. These include:

• Grains and Legumes: Wheat, barley, rice (particularly red paddy rice), and green gram.
• Dairy: Milk, curd, butter, and ghee (especially from cows).
• Fruits and Nuts: Bananas, apples, pomegranates, mangoes, almonds, and dates.
• Other Foods: Havis Annam (a preparation of rice, ghee, and sugar), white pumpkin, coconut water, and honey.

Milk is given special emphasis as a complete and balanced food, ideal for Brahmacharins (celibates) and spiritual seekers. It is rich in nutrients and aids in maintaining a balanced constitution. Fruits, being energy-rich and light, are also highly recommended for their cleansing properties and ability to sustain energy without overstimulation.

Foods to Avoid
Swami Sivananda provides a comprehensive list of foods to avoid, as they are considered detrimental to maintaining Brahmacharya. These include:

1. Stimulating Foods: Garlic, onions, spicy curries, and fried foods.
2. Heavy or Difficult-to-Digest Items: Beans, lentils, mustard, brinjals (eggplants), mushrooms, and certain vegetables like radish and cucumbers.
3. Meat and Eggs: These are considered highly stimulating to sexual passions.
4. Processed and Overripe Foods: Stale, processed, or overly ripe foods lack vitality and disturb bodily functions.
5. Salt: Excessive salt is deemed particularly harmful, as it excites passions. Even minimal salt consumption is sufficient, as all foodstuffs naturally contain some salt.

The avoidance of these items is recommended to maintain a calm mind and prevent unnecessary stimulation of the senses.

Moderation in Diet (Mitahara)
A key principle for practicing Brahmacharya is Mitahara or moderation in diet. Swami Sivananda defines Mitahara as eating:

1. Half the stomach’s capacity with wholesome, Sattvic food.
2. One-quarter with water.
3. Leaving the remaining quarter empty for free movement of air and digestion.

The chapter strongly advises against overeating, particularly during nighttime, as it may lead to physical discomfort and nocturnal emissions. Overeating is linked to diminished self-control and a lack of discipline in other aspects of life. The author also stresses the intimate connection between the tongue and the reproductive organs. By controlling the tongue—both in speech and in dietary habits—one can significantly reduce sexual urges. The focus should be on simple, bland, and non-stimulating meals.

Fasting: A Purification Practice
Fasting is highlighted as an effective tool for controlling passion and cleansing the body. According to Swami Sivananda:

• Physical Benefits: Fasting allows the digestive organs to rest, flushes toxins, and removes uric acid deposits. This purification enhances bodily health and lightness.
• Mental and Emotional Benefits: Fasting calms the mind, suppresses sexual excitement, and helps cultivate self-discipline.
• Spiritual Benefits: By reducing distractions of the senses, fasting facilitates deeper meditation and contemplation of higher truths.

The author outlines guidelines for fasting:

• Start with a single day and gradually increase dur

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Sri Swami Sivananda Practice of Brahmacharia, Chapter eighteen, The role
of diet in sex control. Diet plays a prominent part
in keeping up bramacharia. Purity of food brings in purity
of mind. That power which connects the body and the
mind is present in the food that we take. Various

(00:22):
kinds of food have varying effects on the mind. There
are certain kinds of food that make the mind and
the body very strong and steady, So it is absolutely
essential that we should take pure sapphic food. Food has
a very close connection with bramacharia. If proper attention is
given to the purity of the food that we take,

(00:43):
bramacheria becomes quite easy. The influence of foodstuffs on the
brain cells, emotion, and passion is remarkable. There are different
compartments in the brain and each food produces its own
effect on each compartment and on the general system. Infection
of sparrow produces an aphrodisiac effect. It directly stimulates the

(01:05):
reproductive organs. Garlic, onions, meat, fish and eggs stimulate passion.
Mark how elephants and cows that live on grass are
quiet and peaceful, and how tigers and other carnivorous animals
that live on meat are turbulent and ferocious. Instinct or
the voice from within will guide you in the selection

(01:25):
of articles of diet that are conducive to the keeping
up of Bramacheria. You can also consult some elderly and
experienced persons. Pure Satvic food cheru, hasinam, milk, wheat, barley, bread, ghee, butter,
dried ginger, green gram potatoes, dates, plantins, curd, almonds, and

(01:47):
fruits are all pure Savic articles of food. Cheru is
a mixture of boiled white rice, ghee, white sugar, and milk.
Has andamb is also a similar preparation. This is very
useful for spiritual aspirants. Milk is a perfect food by itself,
containing as it does, the different nutritive constituents in a

(02:10):
well balanced proportion. This is an ideal food for Yogans
and brahmacharins. Fruits are great energy producers. Bananas, grapes, sweet oranges, apples, pomegranates,
and mangoes are wholesome and nutritious. Dry fruits such as grapes, raisins, dates,
and figs. Sweet fresh fruits such as bananas, mangoes, sippodas, melons, limes, pineapples, apples,

(02:38):
wood apples, and sweet pomegranates, sugar and sugar, candy, honey, sago, arrowroot, milk,
butter and ghee of cows, tender coconut water, coconut almonds,
pistachio nuts, tour doo, ragge, barley, maize, wheat, rice of
red patty whose brand is only partly removed in rice

(02:58):
of good smell or sweet taste, and all preparations from
any of these grains and white pumpkin are pure Sapvic
articles for keeping up bramicheria, forbidden food, highly seasoned dishes,
hot curries, chutneys, chilies, meat, fish, eggs, tobacco, liquor, sour articles,

(03:20):
oil of all kinds, garlic, onions, bitter things, sour curd,
stale food, acids, astringents, pungent stuffs, roasted things, over ripe
and unripe fruits, heavy vegetables, and salt are not at
all beneficial. Onions and garlic are worse than meat. Salt
is the worst enemy. Too much salt excites passion. Even

(03:44):
if you do not take salt separately, the system will
derive the necessary quantity of salt from other foodstuffs. All
food stuffs contain salt. Giving up of salt helps you
in controlling the tongue and thereby the mind and all
the other senses. All kinds of peas and beans, both
fresh and fried, black grain, bengal gram, horse gram, sprouted grains, mustard,

(04:08):
all sorts of chilis, acephtida, lentils, brimjawls, lady's finger, cucumbers, malabar,
night shades both white and red, bamboo shoots, pop off fruit, drumsticks,
all varieties of gourge, such as white gourd, snake gourd,
and squash gourd, radish leaks, mushrooms of all kinds, things
fried in oil or ghee, Pickles of all sorts, fried rice, sesame, seeds, tea, coffee, cocoa,

(04:36):
all kinds of vegetables, leaves, roots, fruits, and foodstuffs that
create wind or indigestion, grief, pain, or costiveness, or other sickness.
Pastry preparations, foods that are dry and burning, Foods that
are bitter, sour, saline, over hot, and pungent. Tobacco in
its preparations. Foods and drinks containing liquor or narcotic drugs

(04:58):
such as opium and bang. Food preparations which are stale
or have become cold subsequent to their removal from the hearth,
or which have lost their natural taste, smell, color, or form,
or which are remnants after being eaten away by other persons. Animals, birds,
or insects, or which contain dust, hair, straw, or other rubbish.

(05:19):
And milk of buffalo, goat or sheep should be avoided
as they are either passionate or dark by nature. Lemon, juice, rock, salt, ginger,
and white pepper can be used in moderation Mitahara or
moderation in diet. Mitahara is moderation in food. Take wholesome
pure sapphic food half stomachful fill a quarter with pure water,

(05:45):
allow the remaining part free. This is mitahara. Brahmacherrians should
always take mitahara moderation only. They should be very careful
about their night diet. They should never overload the stomach
at night. Overloading is the direct cause for nocturnal emissions.
A glutton can never dream of becoming a Brahmashari. Control

(06:10):
of tongue is a sine quan non. If you want
to control lust, if you want to observe the vow
of bramacheria, the tongue must be controlled first. Then it
will be easy to control the passion. There is intimate
connection between the tongue and the organ of generation. Tongue
is an organ of knowledge. It is born of the

(06:31):
pure satvic portion of the water tanmatra. The organ of
generation is an organ of action. It is born of
the rajas passion excitement icy portion of the water tanmitra.
They are sister organs as the source is the same.
If the tongue is stimulated with rajas passion excitement icy

(06:53):
food at once, the reproductive organ also gets excited. There
should be selection and restriction in diet. The food of
a brama kari must be simple, bland, spiceless, non irritating,
and non stimulating. Moderation in food is very necessary. Stuffing
the stomach is highly deleterious. Fruits are highly beneficial. You

(07:17):
should take food only when you are really hungry. The
stomach will deceive you. Sometimes you may have false hunger.
When you sit for taking meals, you will have no
appetite and no relish. Dietetic restrictions and fasting are very
useful auxiliaries in controlling the camel mind and in the
attainment of bramicheria. You should not ignore them or make

(07:40):
light of them on any account. Fasting a purificatory exercise.
Fasting controls passion. Fasting destroys sexual excitement. It calms the emotions,
It controls the senses. Also, Passionate young men and ladies
should take recourse to occasional fasting. It will prove highly beneficial.

(08:04):
Fasting is a great tapas it purifies the mind. It
destroys a great multitude of sins. Shastras prescribed Chandrayan of Rada,
quicker of Rada, Ekidossi Vrada, and Pratoshavrata for the purification
of the mind. Fasting controls particularly the tongue, which is
your deadly enemy. When you fast, do not allow the

(08:27):
mind to think of delicious dishes, because then you will
not derive much benefit. Fasting overhauls the respiratory, circulatory, digestive
and urinary systems. It destroys all the impurities of the
body and all sorts of poisons. It eliminates uric acid deposits,
just as impure gold is rendered pure by melting it

(08:49):
in a crucible again and again. So also the impure
mind is rendered purer and purer by fasting again and again.
Young robust brahmacharins should observe fasting whenever passion troubles them.
You will have very good meditation during fasting as the
mind is calm. The chief object in fasting is to

(09:09):
practice meditation rigorously during that period. As all the senses
are calm, You will have to withdraw all the senses
and fix the mind on God. Pray to God for
guiding you and throwing a flood of light on the path.
Say with bad feeling, Oh God, pracho deit, pracho deit,

(09:29):
guide me, Guide me, Trahi Trahi, protect me, Protect me.
I am thine, my Lord. You will get purity, light, strength,
and knowledge. Fasting is one of the ten canons of Yoga.
Avoid excessive fasting. It will produce weakness. Use your common sense.

(09:53):
Those who are not able to observe a full fast
can fast for nine or twelve hours, and can take
milk and fruits in the ear evening or at night.
During fasting, the internal digestive organs such as the stomach,
the liver, and the pancreas take rest. Epicureans, gluttons, and
those who are tireless eaters do not allow rest for

(10:13):
these organs even for a few minutes. Hence these organs
get diseased soon. Diabetes, albuminuria, dyspepsia, and hepatitis are all
due to overfeeding. After all, man wants very little on
this earth. Ninety percent of the people in this world
take more food than what is absolutely necessary for the body.

(10:36):
Overeating has become their habit. All diseases take their origin
in overeating. An occasional complete fast is a great desideratum
for all to keep up good health, relieve the internal organs,
and maintain Bramacharia. Diseases that are pronounced incurable by allopaths
and homeopaths, are cured by fasting. Fasting develops will power

(10:59):
it increases. This is the power of endurance. Manu, the
Hindu lawgiver, prescribes in his code the remedy of fasting
for removal of the five capital sins. Also, it is
better to drink a large quantity of water, either tepid
or cold according to temperament and inclination. During fasting. It
will flush out the kidneys and remove the poison and

(11:20):
all sorts of impurities in the body. In Hatha yoga,
it is termed as gatasudi, or purification of the flesh
pot the physical body. You can add half a teaspoonful
of soda bicarbonate to the water. Those who fast for
two or three days should not break their fast with
any solid food. They should take some kind of fruit juice,

(11:42):
either sweet orange juice or pomegranate juice. They should sip
the juice slowly. You can take an enema daily during fasting.
Fast for a day to start with, then slowly increase
the number of days according to your strength and capacity.
In the beginning, you may feel a slight weakness. The

(12:02):
first day may be very tiring. You will feel real
anunda bliss. On the second or the third day, the
body will be very very light. You can turn out
more mental work during fasting. Those who are in the
habit of fasting will rejoice. On the first day, the
mind will tempt you in a variety of ways to

(12:23):
eat something or the other. Stand firm, be bold, curb
the mind at once when it hisses or raises its hood.
Do more meditative repetition of a mantra of gayetry or
any mantrat during fasting. Fasting is more a spiritual action
than a physical action. From the viewpoint of health, you

(12:44):
will have to utilize the fasting days for higher spiritual
purposes and in the contemplation of God, always entertain thoughts
of God. Dive deep into the problems of life, such
as the why and the wherefore of the universe. Inquire
who am I? What is this the soul, attman or Brahman?

(13:05):
What are the ways and means to attain knowledge of God?
How to approach Him? Then realize your niegenander self, bliss state,
and rest in purity forever and ever. My dear brothers,
will you start the fasting tapasia from the very second
you read these lines. Peace be unto all beings