Introduction 35a house. On the contrary, all the sm�tls (codes of law) recommend
marriage. Without experiencing human love and happiness, it is not
possible to know divine love. Almost all the yogis and sages of old in
India were married men with families of their own. They did not
shirk their social or moral responsibilities. Marriage and parenthood
are no bar to the knowledge of divine love, happiness and union with
the Supreme Soul.
Dealing with the position of an aspirant who is a householder, the
Siva Samhita says: Let him practise free from the company of men in
a retired place. For the sake of appearances, he should remain in
society, but not have his heart in it. He should not renounce the duties
of his profession, caste or rank; but let him perform these as an instru
ment of the Lord, without any thought of the results. He succeeds
by following wisely the method of Yoga; there is no doubt of it. Remain
ing in the midst of the family, always doing the duties of the house
holder, he who is free from merits and demerits and has restrained
his senses, attains salvation. The householder practising Yoga is not
touched by virtue or vice; if to protect mankind he commits any sin,
he is not polluted by it. (Chapter V, verses 234-8.)
When one is established in brahmacharya, one develops a fund of
vitality and energy, a courageous mind and a powerful intellect so
that one can fight any type of injustice. The brahmacharl will use the
fo rces he generates wisely: he will utilise the physical ones for doing
the work of the Lord, the mental for the spread of culture and the
intellectual for the growth of spiritual life. Brahmacharya is the battery
that sparks the torch of wisdom.
Aparigraha. Parigraha means hoarding or collecting. To be free from
hoarding is aparigraha. It is thus but another facet of asteya (non
stealing). Just as one should not take things one does not really need,
so one should not hoard or collect things one does not require im
mediately. Neither should one take anything without working for it
or as a favour from another, for this indicates poverty of spirit. The
yogi feels that the collection or hoarding of things implies a lack of
faith in God and in himself to provide for his future. He keeps faith
by keeping before him the image of the moon. During the dark half of
the month, the moon rises late when most men are asleep and so
do not appreciate its beauty. Its splendour wanes but it does not stray
from its path and is indifferent to man's lack of appreciation. It has
faith that it will be full again when it faces the Sun and then men
will eagerly await its glorious rising.
By the observance of aparigraha, the yogi makes his life as simple
as possible and trains his mind not to feel the loss or the lack of any-