Tapasā brahmacāryeṇa śamena damena ca. (SB 6.1.13) Tapasya. One has to undergo tapasya; brahmacārya, celibacy. Tapasya.
Brahmacārya means stopping sex life or controlling sex life. Brahmacārya. Therefore Vedic civilization is, from the very beginning, to train the boys to become brahmacārī, celibacy. Not that modern days, the schools, boys and girls, ten years, twelve years, they're enjoying. The brain is spoiled. They cannot understand higher things. The brain tissues are lost.
So without becoming brahmacārī, nobody can understand spiritual life. Tapasya brahmacāryeṇa śamena damena ca. Śama means controlling the senses, controlling the mind; damena, controlling the senses; tyāgena; śaucena, cleanliness; tyāga, tyāga means charity.
These are the processes for understanding oneself, self-realization. But in this age it is very difficult to undergo all these processes. Practically it is impossible. Therefore Lord Caitanya, Kṛṣṇa Himself, has made Himself easily available by one process:
- harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
- kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
- (CC Adi 17.21)
In this age, Kali-yuga . . . Kali-yuga is considered to be the most fallen age. We are thinking that we are making very much advance, but it is the most fallen age, because people are becoming like animals. As the animals have no other interest than four principles of bodily necessities—eating, sleeping, mating and defending—so in this age people are interested with four principles of bodily want. They have no information of the soul, neither they are prepared to realize what is soul. That is the defect of this age.
But human form of life is especially meant for realizing himself, "What I am?" That is the mission of human life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This life is meant for inquiring about Brahma. Brahma, Paramātmā, Bhagavān. These inquiries should be there. Jijñāsu. They are called jijñāsu, brahma-jijñāsa, jijñāsu, inquiry. As we inquire every morning, "What is the news today?" immediately we tick newspaper.
That inquisitiveness is there. But we are inquiring very base things only. There is no desire to inquire about the highest possibility, brahma-jñāna. That is the lack of this modern civilization. Inquiring how to earn money: divā cārthehayā rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā (SB 2.1.3). Not only in this age . . . in this age it has become the principal factor, but in this material world everyone is engaged simply for these bodily necessities of life.