* Do’s and (especially) don’ts for the Varnins- the celibates of the Sampraday.
Do’s and (especially) don’ts for the Varnins- the celibates of the Sampraday.
Shri Narayan Muni said:-
O the great Varnin Brahmchari ! A celibate should never be angry. If at all, he gets angry accidently or unknowingly or suddenly, he should at once ask for apologies to him, with whom he gets angry. 1.
The celibate must not be tempted to be greedy; he should not collect things; and furthermore, should never wish to own the things which are not needed. Hence, he should only have the things, which are inevitably essential. This is because, greed leads to anger; hence, he must keep away from greed. 2.
He must not keep any kind of wealth, nor make someone keep wealth, like a charitable person. He must always keep himself away from all the addictions or bad habits such as; bribery, gambling and many others. 3.
A celibate should never wish to have money or wealth of his relatives to solve his own problems, even if he is in difficulty. 4.
A celibate must keep himself away from; temptations, lust, hatred, insult or honour, intoxication of drugs, liquor and others. In addition, he should keep himself away from morbidity, pretension, gossips and scandals. 5.
Furthermore, he should not eat prohibited food stuffs, should never utter obscene words, hateful, insulting, abusive language. He should not touch untouchables and should not drink intoxicating drinks. 6.
He must not speak words that prick the weak points of the listener; he must not speak lies and should not even speak truth if it hurts the mind and heart of the listener. 7.
A celibate must not be tempted to; tasty, spicy, and delicious food and should not beg at a particular house daily. Besides the above, he must not eat any invigorated food. 8.
He should not even, in any illness, inevitable circumstances; drink the milk, of a mare, a female camel, a female elephant, a female donkey, even though it is to be taken as a medicine. 9.
A celibate should never eat non-vegetarian food even if it is offered to Chandi (Goddess) or Bhairav. So, he should neither drink wine or liquor, even if it is offered to gods. 10.
He should neither eat onion, garlic, tobacco nor even touch meat or non-vegetarian things. Furthermore, he should not eat medicines made of such things. 11.
He should not eat food that is not offered to god as a Naivedya. Likewise, he should not take meals, before offering it to god. 12.
A celibate must never eat beyond his hunger or voluptuously, the food which is not necessary. Moreover, he should not eat twice unless he is ill. He should not eat without offering his daily rituals. 13.
A celibate must never accept food given as insistence. He must not wait for a long time at a house, to get his begging. He must also not knock the door or shout loudly to beg for food. 14 - 15.
He should not ask for food at the doors of sinful people, people at whose houses death have occurred (people who are following death mourning). 16.
He should not drink unfiltered water, nor should he use unfiltered water for rituals. He should not touch the utensils of intoxicating things or such other prohibited things. 17.
A celibate must never touch a donkey, camel, buffalo and a goat. In addition to the latter point, he should not ride these animals. 18.
He should not sleep during the day, unless in illness; and should not sleep till sunrise; he should not sleep at dusk time as well. 19.
He must not apply incense and fragrant, perfumed oils before and after taking bath. 20.
He should not use musk, vermilion powder; should not colour his teeth and mouth (with betel leaf, calcium & catechu) and should not use flashy colours. 21.
A celibate should never use an umbrella, should not watch dance, plays, concerts; he should not wear flashy coloured red clothes. 22.
He should not massage his body, while taking a bath; neither should he wash his feet by rubbing hard. He should not watch himself in a mirror. 23.
He should not use and wear bright, dazzling clothes; should not apply lamp black soot to his eyes; and should not eat betel leaf. 24.
He should not sing slang, lustful songs; nor should he gossip and involve in any scandals. He should never commit to work as a messenger and behave boastfully. 25.
He should not abuse images and idols of gods and Goddess, holy pilgrimages, cows, Vedas, chaste and faithful wife of his teacher. 26.
He should not tease, trouble and expostulate or harass animals even in mind and by acts. He should not pluck tender branches of trees for brushing his teeth. 27.
However, to pluck Tulsi leaves (holy basil) and a flower for worshipping god is allowed. So also he is, free from sin, if he plucks darbhas (holy pointed grass) and fuel sticks. 28.
He should not walk after the sunset, unless he is in some calamity. He should not stamp his feet while walking. He should avoid hurting insects, while walking during the day. 29.
A celibate should not take a bath, in water that is full of insects and germs. If at all there are no excuses, he should filter that water and use it for bathing. 30.
He should not urinate without undressing his dhoti and without taking a pot of water. 31.
He should not perform any act leading to his death; he should not act in any way, which is against his caste. Additionally, he should not rub his hands, eyes deliberately and frequently. 32.
He should never argue, have a debate, or lead in a discussion with the King, teacher, the people from the Kings’ family or with women, in order to win. 33.
He should be strict in his religious acts; he should not win others by debating with them and should not be unfaithful. Moreover, he should not even abuse a bad tempered man. 34.
He should not use a blanket, even in difficulty and should not use any cloth used by women. 35.
He should not sleep on a cot; neither should he sleep in a nude state. He should not pluck his hair and should not accept beads. 36.
A celibate should not, take away; without the consent of his master, even clay, grass or wood. Otherwise, it would be considered as a sinful act of theft. It may be dangerous if taken in a big quantity. 37.
He should never avoid his daily rituals of Sandhya and sacrifice even in calamity. Therefore; he must not avoid the worship of the sun or his teacher too. 38.
He should not wish to own a farm, a grove or grow his own trees and he should never make a store of food, milk and milk powder, butter, ghee and curd. 39.
He should never abuse, blame or criticize his teacher, either in public or in private. He should not abuse, blame saintly people and he must not wear costumes or shoes that are not allowed in a gentlemen’s assembly. 40.
He should not apply oil and comb his hair. In addition, he should not follow a disallowed track and enter a stranger’s house. He should not beat a man or an animal even with a blade of grass. He should never play or entertain any child. 41 - 42.
He should not at all, blame or criticise the earnings of a Brahmin, a priestly man and should not even talk about God, where people do not follow religious deeds. 43.
A celibate must never perform cremation rituals; even of his own parents, teachers and brothers and others. 44.
One, who does not abide to this rule and performs acts prohibited to him, should take the expiation for a day. 45.
One, who performs the deeds or acts that are not allowed to him, by the religion; is a fool, sinful man and gains defame in this world and above. 46.
Thus ends the fifty-first chapter entitled, ‘narration of actions prohibited in strict code for Brahmacharis,’ in the fifth Prakaran of Satsangi jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as Dharmashastra. (the rules of the code of conduct). 51