ON SHEEL OR CONTINENCE
by
Sant Ajaib Singh Ji
This satsang talk was given on
Aug. 9, 1977 at Sant Bani Ashram, N.H.
Many times the subject of kam or lust has been commented on in
Satsang. The Rishis, Munis, Saints and Mahatmas have written a great
deal about kam and the maintenance of chastity in their scriptures, and
they always emphasize the importance of preserving the vital fluid. I
have said before that the vital fluid is a precious element in our body,
and everybody has to preserve it. It doesn't matter if we are man or
woman: this fluid is precious for everybody. Men and women come together
not only to enjoy kam. They come together to make their worldly life
happy, and our companion is chosen for that reason.
The Rishis and Munis taught us that up to the age of twenty-five we
should get our education and observe brahmcharya or chastity. Don't be
involved in unchaste practices. After that, get married and have
intercourse with each other only to have children. Once you know that
the wife is pregnant, don't have intercourse for at least three years.
Why? Because if a nursing mother becomes pregnant, that affects both the
quality of her milk as well as the development of the coming child. He
may suffer from some disease, or may have a deficient body, or he may
go bad when he grows up. This is why most children in this present time
do not care about their parents.
Not long ago (in India) not even grown-up people were obsessed with
kam, and they never thought about unchaste practices. But now even
small children are aware of unchaste practices and all that follows.
This is because the limitations the Rishis and Munis made for our
benefit, and whatever they told us as to the maintenance of chastity,
are not being followed by the parents. Observing them, their children
also go bad. One hundred parts of food is equivalent to one drop of
blood; one hundred drops of blood equals one drop of vital fluid; one
hundred drops of vital fluid makes one drop of the Great Vital Fluid
or Ojas.* (*See "Ojas - The Power of Chastity," Sant Kirpal Singh Ji,
The Light of Kirpal, p. 235). It is to preserve and take care of that
Ojas that yogis stay awake all night and perform their practices.
Preserve that vital fluid at any age. You will find happiness in
preserving it; your body will remain in very good shape and always
you will feel happiness within your heart. If we give up the lust
within us, then continence comes. If we weed out anger from within, in
its place comes forgiveness. In the same way, in the place of greed,
contentment comes; in the place of attachment comes right understanding;
and egoism is replaced by humility. All these evils go; all these five
passions leave us from within, and the other five qualities come
instead. We can say that the agents of the Negative Power go away, and
instead of that, the Positive or Master Power resides within us.
Here some words of Charan Das, in which he is talking about
continence, are presented to you. Charan Das was a perfect Mahatma.
Now I sing of Sheel (continence), listen,
O learned saints:
All men and women, listen attentively.
Now Mahatma Charan Das Ji says, "I am telling you about continence
and the maintenance of chastity. I will tell you the advantages of
preserving your vital fluid, and disadvantages of losing it. This
is not only for men; women also should listen." Everybody should
listen to this very carefully.
Even if one is beautiful, virtuous,
of noble family and rich -
Without Sheel there is no glory;
he will go into hell and eat dirt.
Now Charan Das Ji says, "No matter how beautiful a man is, how
wealthy he is, how much power he has, if he has not created the
element of continence within him, if he is not chaste, he has to
go into dirt, take birth in dirt, and eat that dirt."
One who performs tapas (austerities)
without Sheel, who donates without Sheel,
And who practices yoga and meditation
without Sheel, is called ignorant.
Now Charan Das says, "If anyone is giving donations and his life is
not chaste, or whatever yogas or practices he may be doing without
continence - all that is useless; his donations will not be accepted,
nor will he succeed in any of his practices. Until he becomes chaste
and gives up kam he cannot become successful in anything."
Sheel is the greatest of a1l Yogas
for those who can maintain it.
Charan Das says, "One who forgets Sheel
can never be liberated."
When Saints and Mahatmas give out Their Bani, They do not spare
anyone and They always speak the Truth. They do not say things
indirectly. Most of the time they speak to the point. That's why
Charan Das Ji says, "Continence is the crown of all yogas. It is
the greatest of all practices." And He says, "Until we maintain
continence we cannot get liberation, and there is no question of
reaching the court of God."
Even if one has all good qualities
but does not have Sheel,
Charan Das says, "Calculating his
japas and tapas is useless."
Now Charan Das says, "This is my personal experience: no matter
how many good qualities a man has, if he does not have that
element of continence within him, all his deeds and qualities
are useless."
Even if one wholeheartedly performs
Yajna, worship, abstinence and
regularity (of worship),
Charan Das says, "Without Sheel
they are all useless."
In India, people ordinarily perform the Yajna,* (*An ancient
Hindu institution of religious sacrifice and oblation) and they
consider that as the highest religious or spiritual practice.
They also go into temples and offer prayers and worship idols, and
think that by doing all these things they are doing the devotion
of God and will be liberated. But Charan Das says here, "No matter
how much Yajna one performs or how much worship he does, if he is
not chaste, that devotion and those practices are not counted."
When we get sick and go to a doctor, he gives us some medicine,
and he also gives some instructions and tells us to abstain from
some things. If a patient uses the medicine, and if he keeps the
abstinence which he has been told to do, he recovers. In the same
way, our soul is suffering from many diseases. It is suffering
from lust, anger, greed, attachment and egoism. When we come to the
Master, and He gives us initiation, at that time He gives us
instruction. He instructs us to abstain from some things, and He
tells us, "If you meditate on Naam, and if you abstain from the
things I am telling you to abstain from, you will be able to
remove the disease from your soul." But it is a matter of great
regret that I have to say that nobody keeps the abstinence which
they have been told to do, and still they have questions like: "We
have been initiated for many years, but still we have not seen
anything inside; we have not progressed much." Their mind puts forth
all these questions, but they do not put this question before the
mind: "Have you ever kept chastity? Have you ever obeyed the
commandments of the Master?"
Hazur used to say, "Lust brings the soul back in the body. We
are supposed to go up, to rise to the higher planes, but because of
lust, we are coming back in the body."
He is Sati, he is brave,
and he is a great donor
Who always maintains Sheel.
He is never unsuccessful.
In the olden days, when any husband would die in India, his wife was
burned along with the dead body of her husband. She was called Sati.
The pundits believed that a woman who burned herself with the dead
body of her husband would go into the heavens and get liberation.
This evil practice was ended by Guru Nanak and Kabir Sahib. They
taught that by burning oneself on a dead body, or on a grave, one
cannot get liberation. There is no liberation in practices like
this. So Mahatma Charan Das Ji says about this, "The qualities which
a Sati has, or the qualities which a brave man has, or the quality
which a donor or giver has, all these qualities can be achieved if
one maintains continence. If one has not maintained continence, then
it does not matter if he is Sati, or a brave man, or a donor; those
good deeds which he or she is doing are not going to be counted
anywhere."
Sheel doesn't grow in the field,
nor is it sold in the market.
One who is firm in making the promise,
creates the element
(of Sheel) within him.
Now Charan Das says, "This element of continence is not produced
in any field nor is it sold in any merchant's shop. If a person is
firm in his promise - whatever vow he has made to the Master - if he
keeps that promise, he can create this element within him." Only those
who love their Master can create this thing within them; only they can
maintain continence.
Without Sheel one falls into hell,
without Sheel one gets punished by Yama.
Without Sheel one wanders here and there
in seven islands and nine Khands.*
(*Divisions of the universe.)
Now Charan Das Ji says that there are some responsibilities which a
human being is supposed to carry out. If a human goes below humanity
and the deeds of humanity, many punishments await him. Even the
angel of death, Yama, gives him punishment. And then He says that if
we do not have the element of continence within us, the Lord of
Judgment sends us into all the divisions of the universe, so that
sometimes we get birth in this body and sometimes in another body.
Without Sheel one wanders
in the wheel of eighty four.
There is no doubt of this: He
gets his first birth as a ghost.
Now Charan Das Ji says that without a life of continence he goes
into the cycle of eighty-four lakhs and wanders from one to another
body, and he gets the body of a ghost also. There is no doubt of
this fact.
There is one incident of a town named Malot in the Punjab State.
There was a dear one whose name was Roshan. His wife was controlled
by a ghost. Always that ghost would come and enjoy with the wife, and
because the ghost was not in the physical body, she did not know how
to get rid of him. They tried many types of medicine and different
methods, but to no avail. Then somebody told them about our Master.
And when they came to our ashram, as soon as that lady was brought in
front of the Master, the ghost who was controlling the lady started
weeping and said, "Now You leave me alone. Don't give me any
punishment. I won't come again and disturb her. This is because in
my past life I was a man. I was very unchaste and I was obsessed
with the desire to enjoy lust with women. That's why in this body
I have become a ghost, and because I am a ghost, I can control any
lady, and enjoy with her. But please forgive me. I won't come and
trouble her again." So, in this way, those who are not having a
chaste life may get the body of a ghost. And this type of soul -
those who enter the bodies of ghosts and other spirits - they
themselves are suffering, and they disturb other souls also.
Giving up all other things, one
who worships Sheel, and keeps
his attention on the Name of Lord,
He is praised in the world while living,
and at the time of death
he gets liberation.
Now Charan Das Ji says that before even thinking about doing meditation,
before starting it, you should have the element of continence and you
should be very chaste; if you do, you will progress in your meditation
by leaps and bounds. Moreover, in this world, people will love you
because of the good shape of your body. You will get high status.
Only a few days before we came to this country two incidents happened
in which people who were controlled by ghosts or wandering souls came
into our ashram; and as soon as they stepped into our ashram, the ghosts
left them. One was the niece of Pathi Ji, and she had tried all sorts
of medicine. They went to many people, but they were not able to get rid
of her ghost. When they came to the ashram, the ghost left her, because
whenever these souls come into the atmosphere where a pure soul is
residing, they leave the person they are controlling.
The other girl was from the village called 10 RB, and she had met one
of our dear ones named Hari Ram in 64 RB; he is a satsangi. He told
them, "You should go to 77 RB and see Ajaib Singh if you want to get
rid of that ghost." He knew that not even the Angel of Death comes near
a satsangi, so what is the question of a ghost coming near the perfect
Master? When he told them to come to me and get initiation, they didn't
believe, and they said, "We have done many types of yantras and mantras
and we have gotten nothing; they were all useless. We don't want to
go there." But they finally came, and as soon as that woman came near
me, she started saying, "Now, don't give me any beating, don't punish
me, because now I am going away from this body."
This is not a miracle. You should not think that this is a miracle.
I am telling you about the advantage of keeping continence. If you will
also keep continence, what I am talking about will become an ordinary
thing for you. If anyone who is suffering from a ghost or an evil spirit
comes near you, and you are chaste, that person will be free.
Those who have the character of Sheel,
all their problems go away.
Listen attentively to his words
in the world.
Now Charan Das Ji says, "Those who maintain continence, get praise,
name and fame in this world; moreover, they themselves find happiness."
If Sheel is kept, all other good qualities
remain with us.
Where the King is, the army remains.
Now Charan Das Ji says that if we keep continence, we will be less
angry, and the other passions - greed, attachment and egoism - also
will come in less intensity within us. Where the king is, the army
remains. When we observe continence, which is the king of all these
passions, the other passions will trouble us less. We will have the
guards - the other four virtues - to keep these four passions away
from within us.
If truth is gone, what is left?
If Sheel is gone, all is gone.
When the fence is broken, how can
the field of devotion be saved?
Now Charan Das Ji says, "If the truth has gone from within you, what
do you have left?" Then He says that if continence is gone from you,
your body is like an empty cage. When there is no fence around the
field, how can one save it?
In youth Sheel was not maintained,
so the body is spoiled.
What is the use of repentance now,
when your face has become like ashes?
Now Charan Das Ji says that in your youth when you should have
maintained continence, you gave no attention to it and enjoyed kam
as much as possible. Now, when old age has come, and you cannot
still your attention, you cannot control your thoughts, your eyes are
not working, and your face has become like ashes - what is the use of
repenting now?
If Sheel is gone, respect
in this world decreases.
One becomes like a dog who
is rebuked by everyone and is
not respected anywhere.
When you have not maintained continence, and when that element has
gone from within you, what happens? The good shape of your body goes
away. You do not get any respect. Your friends - even your wife -
don't like you, because when your body has become hollow from inside,
and when it is not in good shape, who will care about you? The same
pleasures which once we felt were giving us enjoyment and happiness,
now become the reason for our pain.
When Sheel goes away one turns away
from Master and becomes hostile
towards the Lord.
Charan Das says, "Maintain it -
even if you have to lose
every other thing."
When continence is not maintained and the vital fluid is lost, that
person often turns away from the Master also, because the vital fluid
within us is the cause of creating more love for the Master. When
that is lost, what is left? That's why He says that we should not
lose that vital fluid. When it is lost, God is lost from us, Master
is lost from us. He says, "We should preserve that vital fluid at
any cost."
There is a curse on their life -
those who lose Sheel.
They are cursed in the world, and
when they die no one pays
homage to them.
Now Charan Das Ji says, "There is a curse on their life, those who
are not maintaining continence. They do not even get any lasting
enjoyment or happiness in this world." I have seen many people who
were controlled by lust, who enjoyed lust so much that they ruined
their life. I have seen them suffering very much.
Sheel, Anvla fruit, and the words
of elder people -
Charan Das says, "These give their
taste afterwards."
Now Charan Das Ji says that no doubt, in the beginning when we are
maintaining continence, we feel that it is very bitter, and we don't
find any taste in it. But it is just like a bitter fruit called anvla:
when we eat it, we don't like it. But, when that fruit is digested,
it works like a medicine in our body and many diseases are removed.
So Charan Das Ji says that the words of wise people and the eating
of the anvla fruit taste very bitter in the beginning, but when they
work, then people realize that they were good for us. In the same way,
even though it feels very bitter in the beginning, when we get the
fruit of the maintenance of chastity, we realize how good it is.
Dear ones, this is the only teaching,
maintaining Sheel.
Charan Das says, By this, our life
is improved and we meet God.
Now Charan Das Ji says, "I have only one teaching to give out, and
that is much better than millions of other teachings. That is:
maintain continence. If you do, you will improve your life - you will
become successful in this world - and moreover you will meet God."
If one takes the water of the feet
of one who maintains Sheel,
His disease and pains go away and
the fear of Yama disappears.
Now Charan Das Ji says that if you wash the feet of those who
maintain continence and drink the water that their feet were washed
in, that water will work within you in removing diseases, and it will
also open your inner vision. In that way you can realize God, and you
can also obtain all knowledge. But those who have maintained chastity
never allow anybody to wash their feet and drink that water. (laughter)
Those who have Sheel within them,
have eight other qualities also.
Charan Das says, Such a person's
darshan is rare to get.
Now He says that he who maintains continence has the good qualities
of the giver, of the brave person, of the Sati. He is everything. He
is the perfect man. If by good fortune we get to have the darshan of
such a person, we should take advantage of it. Only if we are fortunate
can we have the darshan of such a person.
By having the darshan of a chaste one,
all sins are removed.
By hearing His words, mind becomes pure,
and the misuse of sight ceases.
Now Charan Das Ji says, "The darshan of a chaste person is so
precious and valuable that your misuse of the seeing faculty leading
to lust will leave you - if you are having His darshan with full love
and devotion." You can be free from lust.
After bathing in the pool of Sheel,
serve the Lord.
There is no other pilgrimage like this,
said Guru Sukhdev.
Now Charan Das Ji says that there is no pool equal to that pool of
continence. If you have that pool of chastity within you, if you
will bathe in it, you can be free from all bad habits and sins. In
that way you will become so pure that God will manifest within you.
Then He says, "Whatever I have told you about the maintenance of
chastity, I have not said any word of my own. I got this teaching
from my Master Sukhdev, and I maintained chastity and practiced His
words. I have become successful in all these things, so you should
also maintain chastity as I have told you." Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj
also says, "Oh man, you are involved in unchaste practices and
therefore you will dwell in hell and wander in many bodies." And
Guru Nanak also said, "For a little bit of enjoyment, we suffer
for many days. Only to enjoy for a few moments, we suffer many
diseases for many days." And Guru Teg Bahadur also says, "Within
the heart of the sinner dwells lust."
All Mahatmas have laid much emphasis on the maintenance of
chastity, and all of them have said to abstain from lust, because
chastity is not only good for spiritual progress, but in the
physical life also, it will help make our life happy.
What do people do? First they enjoy kam or lust, and in that way
they lose a lot of vital fluid. Then they try to get their strength
and power back by taking medicine and by other means, and this is
never possible. The vital fluid which you are losing through unchaste
practices cannot be replaced by using any medicine which exists in
this world. That's why all satsangis should make their life pure.
From their life, from within them, the fragrance of purity should
emanate. This is good for you.
_____________________________________________________________________________
BACK TO CONTENTS
