Aptavani-1 Aptavani-1 | Page 223

198 Aptavani-1 breaths. Sexual activity leads to an enormous consumption of breaths. That is why I tell people engaged in this worldly life that if they cannot do anything it is fine, but they should at least conserve money and virya (semen, vitality). These two things are the principle foundations of the worldly life. Alcohol is considered to be harmful because it drives one towards sexuality. There are infinite numbers of vishayas. A million births will not suffice for one to enjoy them and exhaust them. I have made my mahatmas free from the vishayas (nirvishayee) despite the fact that they continue enjoying all vishayas. Until one acquires Self-realization, one is constantly engulfed by vishayas because of the presence of the ego and the belief of doer-ship. Those whose vishay – topic, is non-attachment, only such a person can understand a Vitarag - the Absolute, but how can those who are subject to anger, pride, attachment and greed, understand a Vitarag? If a person who is not Self-realized, were to suppress his sexuality for his entire life, he would still be vunerable to sexuality in his next life. There is no escaping sexuality without Self-realisation. The Self is nirvishayee, so how can it enjoy any vishayas? If the Self is the enjoyer of vishaya, it would never attain liberation because enjoyment of sense-pleasure would become an integral and inseparable part of the Self, it would become a compound. This is against the principles of the function of elements. The Self can never enjoy any vishaya. It is an illusion, an exercise of the ego, when one says, ‘I enjoyed’. And this is precisely why there is so much confusion and why one’s spiritual progress is at a stand still. If this illusion is destroyed, one can remain nirvishayee (the Self) amidst endless vishayas of the relative world.