A human being should be very, very cautious and conscious. They should not do anything irresponsibly. And how to work with responsibility and how to work irresponsibly? Therefore śāstra required. Śāstra, these books, Vedic knowledge, books, why they are? So that a human being may take advantage of it, and he act responsibly or irresponsibly. If he works irresponsibly, then his punishment is awaiting, lower grade of life. So human being should be educated how to. . . Therefore these children are being educated from the very beginning of their life how to become responsible man. This is the idea of our gurukula. So these children should be taught. Yesterday Dayananda was talking with me that while living at gurukula they should be very nicely trained up. Nīcavat. The children, they have no sense what is prestige. You can train them any way. If you train them to work as a servant, they will work it. So in the gurukula they should live just to be trained up how to control the senses. Brahmacārī. Brahmacārī mean life of celibacy, no sex. That is brahmacārī, strictly. Brahmacārati iti brahmacārī.
So ordinary brain or brain with cow dung, they cannot understand the spiritual science. Therefore the brahmacārī should be trained up how to control the senses. Then they will be able to understand. The brain will be sharp. Instead of discharging semina, there are brahmacārīs who takes the semina to the brain. They are called ūrdhvaretaḥ, means the brain becomes very, very fertile. Once heard from the spiritual master or teacher, he will remember. He will never forget. Therefore, formerly there was no written book. Śruti, simply by hearing, a brahmacārī would be educated. Simply by hearing. There was no need of books, writing. Therefore the Vedic literature is known as śruti. It is to be learned by hearing. Even there is book, still, one has to learn it by hearing from the realized soul. Therefore it is called śruti. So this śruti memorizing power should be increased if one observes strictly the life of celibacy. This is the science. Therefore brahmacārī is taught strictly. The brahmacārī is supposed to remain in gurukula up to the twenty-fifth year. He is trained up. Then if guru finds him that he requires to be married, then he goes home and he is married. Otherwise, the teaching is to remain a brahmacārī throughout the whole life.