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THE WAY OF LIFE
to see whether the object is proper or improper. He does not care to see whether some food is fit to be eaten or not; and whether some object is fit to be enjoyed or not. The enlightened great men realising the nature of the mental and emotional propensities of jivas have described the path of spiritual endeavour. Just as they prescribed the path of celibacy, they also prescribed marriage and marital life. In other words, they expounded the grihasthadharma or the way of life for householders. If you cannot exercise a complete control over your sex impulse and if you cannot practise complete celibacy, you marry and pacify your sexual passion by means of the company of your wife or husband. You must seek a gratification of your impulse only in the company of your husband or wife. Never desire the company of any other woman than your wife; any other man than your husband. This is grihasthadharma.
I have to deal with these two questions; whom should you marry ? and how should the marriage take place ? But before discussing those questions, I will mention an important point. Sexual passion is natural in human beings; but you should not allow it to become potent and provoked. If the sex-impulse becomes abnormally potent, you must try to bring it to the level of normality. Sexual desire, of course, is normal. But if it becomes abnormally strong, it will impel you to seek gratification by immoral means. You may seek the company of other women or prostitutes. If you step into this path of immorality, your whole life will be ruined. Dharma will disappear from your life and ethical excellence also will be lost. Those who are sexually immoral and lecherous can never concentrate their minds on spiritual austerities. Even if they go to the temple, they cannot attain concentration and their minds will remain deeply distrurbed and distorted, Even if they come to the Upashraya to hear discourses, their minds will keep ranging towards prostitutes.
If you want to lead a wholesome life as a householder; if you want to enjoy prestige in social life and if you desire domestic felicity, then you must pacify and control your sexual passion in the manner prescribed by the enlightened. You must, at least, pacify and control the severity of your sexual passion.
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