In the beginning he should learn how to restrain his senses. If a child is taught to become saintly, his semen rises to his brain, and he is able to understand spiritual values. Wasting semen decreases intelligence.

Training children to control their senses

Becoming animals

PRABHUPADA: Education means to do the right thing, not the wrong thing. That is education. Education means enlightenment, to know what is right, what is wrong. That is education. On the street there is sign board, "Keep to the left," or "Keep to the right." This is education. This is education. One must know how to run the car which side. Education means enlightenment. If you foolishly do something, immediately you become criminal. So education means to enlighten them to know what is right, what is wrong. That is education. But people do not know that. What is the meaning of education?

MAHAMSA: Actually, in all the schools the young people are learning all the bad habits from the schools. Instead of getting to learn how to do right things, they are learning to do all wrong things because of association with people from low families.

VASUGOSA: And they even have sex education in school. They are teaching people how to be rogues.

PRABHUPADA: Our education is first of all to become brahmachari, and the modern education is how to become vyabhicari, this rascal education. And for this purpose there are big, big universities, vice chancellor, and so on, so on.

TAMAL KRSNA: Now everything is so degraded that in American universities they have coeducational toilets.

PRABHUPADA: Gradually they are becoming animals, or they are already animals.

Celibacy recommended from beginning of childhood

SYAMASUNDAR: Freud says that as the child grows up, he begins to learn that by giving up immediate sensual satisfaction, he can gain a greater benefit later on.

PRABHUPADA: But even this so-called greater benefit is illusory, because it is still based on the principle of material pleasure. The only way to entirely give up these lower pleasures is to take to Krishna consciousness. As Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gita [2.59], param drishtva nivartate: "By experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness." And as Yamunacharya said, "Since I have been engaged in the transcendental loving service of Krishna, realizing ever-new pleasure in Him, whenever I think of sex pleasure I spit at the thought, and my lips curl in distaste." That is Krishna consciousness.

Our prescription is that in the beginning of life the child should be taught self-restraint (brahmacharya), and when he is past twenty he can marry. In the beginning he should learn how to restrain his senses. If a child is taught to become saintly, his semen rises to his brain, and he is able to understand spiritual values. Wasting semen decreases intelligence. So from the beginning, if he is a brahmachari and does not misuse his semen, then he will become intelligent and strong and fully grown. For want of this education, everyone's brain and bodily growth are being stunted. After the boy has been trained as a brahmachari, if he still wants to enjoy sex he may get married. But because he then has full strength of body and brain, he will immediately beget a male child.

And because he has been trained from childhood to renounce materialistic enjoyment, when he is fifty years old he can retire from household life. At that time naturally his firstborn child will be twenty-five years old, and he can take responsibility for maintaining the household. Household life is simply a license for sex life—that's all. Sex is not required, but one who cannot restrain himself is given a license to get married and have sex.

This is the real program that will save society. By speculating on some shock that may or may not have occurred in childhood, one will never discover the root disease. The sex impulse, as well as the impulse to become intoxicated and to eat meat, is present from the very beginning of life. Therefore one must restrain himself. Otherwise he will be implicated.

SYAMASUNDAR: So the Western system of bringing up children seems artificial because the parents either repress the child too severely or don't restrict him at all.

PRABHUPADA: That is not good. The Vedic system is to give the child direction for becoming Krishna conscious. There must be some repression, but our use of repression is different. We say the child must rise early in the morning, worship the Deity in the temple, and chant Hare Krishna. In the beginning, force may be necessary. Otherwise the child will not become habituated. But the idea is to divert his attention to Krishna conscious activities. Then, when he realizes he is not his body, all difficulties will disappear. As one increases his Krishna consciousness, he becomes neglectful of all these material things. So Krishna consciousness is the prime remedy—the panacea for all diseases.

Liberation from lust and the bodily concept of life

So because we have got this body, therefore we must have some kama [lust]. That is a fact. You cannot avoid it. Lusty desire there is, and for the upkeep of the body the lusty desires may be fulfilled, but don't become lusty which is dushpuram [insatiable], which is never to be fulfilled. So kamasya na indriya-pritih. Just like lusty desires, generally it is with reference to sex life. So sex life is required for the physiological condition of the body. That is nature's way. Or by giving birth to some nice children, that sex life is required. Otherwise why God has made the arrangement of sex? There is need, but not dushpuram. Kamasya na indriya-pritih: "Don't use it for sense gratification." You use it to fulfill the real purpose. So these lusty desires, unless you live a very regulated life, then it will be dushpuram, it will be never be fulfilled—always desire, always desire, always desire.

So these demons, they accept the shelter of lusty desire which will never be fulfilled, will never be satiated. But those who are devas, godly, their lusty desire is controlled, restricted. Therefore this varnashrama, four varnas, and four ashramas, this is education how to control this lusty desire. That is required. In the beginning of life, the children, beginning from five years old up to twenty-five years, they are trained up as brahmachari. Why? Just to control the kamam dushpuram. Kamam dushpuram. Those who are not in bad association from childhood, if they practice celibacy, they are not disturbed. They are not disturbed. That is called brahmachari life. Why? To train the child of a human being. Because this human life is meant for stopping the cycle of birth and death. That is the mission.

Therefore shastra [Bhagavatam] says, pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat, na mochayed yah samupeta-mrityum: a man should not desire to become a father, and the woman should not desire to become a mother, unless both of them have taken the vow that "I shall beget a child and stop his cycle of birth and death." This is the duty of the parents—not that "I shall beget children like cats and dogs." There should be some meaning of the life. ... Where is the university, where is the college where is this training is given that we are spirit soul and that this body is temporary, and the spirit soul business is so that spirit soul may be purified, no more he accepts this material body? Where is that education? Therefore alpa-buddhayah: less intelligent. They are simply busy with these bodily necessities of life. There is no education of the real living force. That education you will get—this Krishna consciousness movement. Therefore it is unique. It is the education to get people of the human society liberated from the animalistic ignorance. Because those who are under the impression of this bodily concept of life, sa eva go-kharah: [SB 10.84.13] they are no better than the asses and the cows. Go-kharah. Go means cow, and kharah means ass. The person is exactly an animal, cow or ass. Who? Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke: "One who has accepted this body as self." Atma-buddhih kunape. This is a bag, the bag of tri-dhatus. According to Ayurvedic medical science this body is working under three elements—kapha, pitta, vayu. Therefore it is called tri-dhatu. So the whole world is going on on this concept of life. They have no spiritual knowledge. Even big, big professors, big, big, they also say that "This body is everything. After the body is finished, then everything is finished." But that is not the fact. That is the first spiritual education to understand, that "I am not this body." Aham brahmasmi: "I am spirit soul." And Krishna begins this preliminary education in the Bhagavad-gita [Bg. 2.13]:

dehino 'smin yatha dehe
kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara-praptir
dhiras tatra na muhyati

...So kamam, the lusty desires... On account of this body there is lusty desire. We cannot deny it. But don't make it dushpuram, never to be satiated. Finish it. Make it limited. Make it limited. Therefore, according to the Vedic civilization, the lusty desire is there, but you cannot use it except for the purpose of begetting a nice child. That is called puram, means restricted.

So the brahmachari is educated in that way. Up to twenty-five years he cannot see a young woman. He cannot see even. This is brahmachari. He cannot see. Then he is trained up in that way, that he may continue a brahmachari life. Naishthika-brahmachari [lifelong celibate]. But if he's unable, then he's allowed to marry. That is called grihastha life, householder life. Because between twenty-five years to fifty years, this is the youthful time, so his lusty desires are very strong. One who is not able to control... Not for all. There are naishthika-brahmacharis, throughout the life celibate. But that is not possible in this age, neither it is possible to become a brahmachari. The time is changed, this age. Therefore you can control your lusty desire by Krishna consciousness. Otherwise it is not possible.

Yad-avadhi mama chetah krishna-padaravinde. One emperor, Yamunacharya (he was the guru of Ramanujacarya), was king, so naturally he was lusty also. But he gave up this life, became a devotee. So when he was perfectly situated, he said, yad-avadhi mama chetah krishna-padaravinde: "Since I've trained my mind to be engaged in the service of the lotus feet of Krishna, daily I am offering service to Krishna. I am getting new, new pleasure." If one is actually situated in spiritual life he'll get spiritual pleasure, transcendental bliss, by serving more and more, new and new. That is spiritual life. So Yamunacharya said, yad-avadhi mama chetah krishna-padaravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhamany udyatam rantum asit: "When I am now realizing transcendental pleasure every moment by serving Krishna's lotus feet, since then..." bata nari-sangame... Sometimes we enjoy subtle pleasure thinking of sex life. That is called nari-sangame. Nari means woman, and sanga means union. So those who are practiced, when there is actually no union, they think of union. So Yamunacharya said that "Not actually union with woman, but if I think of union, simply by thinking, oh, immediately I become disgusted—'Ah, what is this nasty thing?' " Sushthu nishthi... (spits) This is perfect. [This is perfection. Yes. So long we'll think of sex, that is called subtle sex, thinking. They read the sex literature. That is subtle sex. Gross sex and subtle sex. So one has to become completely free from these lusty desires, not to become implicated which will never be satisfied, unsatiated, dushpuram.

So the demons, they have taken shelter of these lusty desires, dushpuram, never to be satisfied. Why? By illusion. And on account of this illusion, grihitva asad-grahat. Asad-grahat. Asat means which will not stay, nonpermanent, for the time. Just like we have accepted this body. This is asad-graha. This body will not stay. Everyone knows, but still, I am too much attached to this body. This is called asad-graha. And so long we are attached to this nonpermanent body, there should be anxiety. Prahlada Maharaja says, asad-grahat, sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat [SB 7.5.5]. Because we have accepted this temporary body, therefore we are full of anxiety. ... That's a fact, full of anxiety. This is the test that we are in external material body. Therefore we are anxious. So for them this is the best formula. What is that? Hitvatma-patam griham andha-kupam. ...He should give up this so-called family life which is just like a dark well. Just take shelter of Krishna. Instead of taking shelter of these lusty desires, you take shelter of Krishna. Then your life is successful.