Veerya (Semen) – the vital fluid :

============== Know About Veerya ============== 

God is Rasa. Rasa is Veerya, the vital fluid or semen. You can attain eternal bliss and peace by preserving the Veerya. Brahmacharya means control of the Veerya. The vital force or Veerya is preserved only by one who is established in the practice of Brahmacharya. The vital fluid or semen is lost and wasted during sexual indulgence.

From food comes juice or chyle; from chyle comes blood and flesh; from flesh comes fat; from fat comes bones; from bones come marrow. Lastly, from marrow comes semen. The Veerya comes out of the very marrow concealed in the bones. It is found in a subtle state in all the cells of the body. Mark here how precious the semen is! It is the last essence of food. It is the essence of essences.

As the vital force is the most precious substance in the physical body, it should be carefully preserved. Its wastage means loss of physical and mental energy.

It is said that a drop of semen comes out of forty drops of blood. According to Ayurveda it comes from eighty drops of blood.Just a sugar pervades the entire sugarcane and butter pervades milk, so also semen pervades the whole body. Just as buttermilk is thinned after the butter has been extracted, so also the semen is thinned by its wastage. The more the wastage of the semen, the more the physical and mental weakness.

Ojas Shakti - Sex-sublimation :

When semen is preserved, it gets reabsorbed by the body and stored in the brain as Ojas Shakti or spiritual power. The seminal energy is changed into spiritual energy. This is called the process of sex-sublimation. The Ojas Shakti is used for spiritual Sadhana by the Yogi.

The vital force is closely linked with the nervous system. Hence, it is vitally necessary to preserve it carefully if one desires to have strong nerves.

In the Yoga Shastra it is stated: "The falling of semen brings death; the preservation of it gives life." The semen is the real vitality in man. It is the hidden treasure in him. It gives a glow to the face, strength to the intellect and well being to the entire system. Girls, too, suffer great loss through having unchaste thoughts and giving way to lust. Vital nervous energy is lost. There is a corresponding loss of Veerya in them as well.

Sages like Sukadeva are examples of an ' Urdha Reta '. (A man of unbroken and complete continence whose semen tends to ascend upward) There is another class, who previously have had discharges of semen but who later on have controlled them. 

A man controlling the seminal fluid for twelve years develops a special power. He grows a new inner nerve called the nerve of memory. Through that nerve he remembers all, he understands all.

Loss of semen impairs the strength. But it does not injure one if one loses it in a dream. That semen one gets from food. What remains after nocturnal discharge is enough. The semen that remains after nocturnal discharge is very 'refined'. 

Brahmacharya :

There are some rare cases where people have attained longevity and high intellectual powers despite their loose, immoral ways. This is obviously due to their past Karma. But they would have been still more powerful and brilliant through the practice of Brahmacharya.

The seminal energy of an Akhanda Brahmachari has been converted into Ojas Shakti or spiritual energy through the process called sex-sublimation. Such a person can turn out a great deal of mental work. He is very intelligent. He has a magnetic aura on his face. His eyes shine brightly.

Peace of mind, fearlessness, a strong will, good memory and power of concentration, keen application to work- these are the fruits of Brahmacharya.

The practice of Karma Yoga or selfless service will not be possible without Brahmacharya. If the Veerya (semen) is lost, the Prana gets unsteady. If the Prana gets agitated, one becomes nervous. Then the mind also cannot work properly and the person becomes fickle-minded. This is mental weakness.

The student practicing Brahmacharya should never, not even in his dreams, let go of his Veerya (semen). If he does it willingly, he fails in his duty.He is a fallen victim. By means of proper Sadhana (austere practices) he should try to preserve the Veerya. By the practice of Brahmacharya alone can he get physical, mental and spiritual progress. 

How To Attain Long Life According To Ved ?

The Vedas s state that a man’s full life span is a hundred years. This can be achieved only if a person is established in perfect Brahmacharya. It is through the attainment of good conduct only that one can live to a ripe old age and be ever happy and peaceful. Even if all other qualities may be lacking, good conduct alone will ensure longevity.

Man grows for about twenty to twenty-five years. If all accidents are counted out, his normal duration of life should be not less than one hundred years.This tallies very well with the advice of the Hindu Holy Scriptures that Brahmacharya should be practised for the first twenty-five years. During the period of growth there is not to be any loss of the vital fluid. 

भद्रं कर्णेभिः शर्णुयाम देवा भद्रं पश्येमाक्षभिर्यजत्राः | 

सथिरैरङगैस्तुष्टुवांसस्तनूभिर्व्यशेमदेवहितं यदायुः || ……Rig Ved (1/89/8) 

bhadraṃ karṇebhiḥ śṛṇuyāma devā bhadraṃ paśyemākṣabhiryajatrāḥ | 

sthirairaṅghaistuṣṭuvāṃsastanūbhirvyaśemadevahitaṃ yadāyuḥ || 

” May we attain the Devhit Aayu by listening only good things with our ears, seeing only good sights with our eyes, and by making our bodies properly stable and equipped with good health. “ 

With reference to the ‘Devhit Aayu’, there is a sentence in Maitrayani as well as the Kathak Samhita (Maitrayani 1/7/5) and Kathak Samhita 9/2), saying that ‘Devhit Aayu’ is living for at least 100 years and growing old enjoying life with excellent health. 

The Aitareya Aranyak says about the average human life span(2/2/9), man’s average life length must be considered as at least 100 years. 

TACHCHA KSHURDEVHITAM PURASTACHRUKRAMMUCHARAT 

PASHYEM SHARADAHA SHATAM JIVEMA SHRADAHA SHATAM SHRUNUYAMA SHARADAHA SHATAM PRA BRAYAMA SHARADAHA SHATMADINAHA SYAM SHARADAHA SHATAM BHUYASHCHA SHARADAHA SHATAM BHUYASHCHA SHARADAHA SHATATA

-------------(36/24, Yajurveda)

“He first arose who was the doer of good to the scholars and was blessed with pure eyes of knowledge. May he bless us with a long life of 100 years devoid of misery and pain so that we may live, may hear, give sermons, lead a comfortable life and dwell in happiness for more than a hundred years. We should firstly acquire knowledge as much as possible. This shall lead to strengthening of the senses upto death. We will be blessed with a long healthy life, knowledge can facilitate in keeping the health and mind strong. “ 

This is a popular Mantra in the Yajur Ved (Madhyadin Samhita 36/24), which also has the word ‘Devhit’. 

There is other evidence in our Vedic literature as well, which proves that a man’s average length of life is 100 years (Shatapath Brahman 5/4/1/13, Maitrayani Samhita 1/6/4, Taitik Samhita 2/3/11/5).

But as said earlier, this is the common average life length. A religiously, purely living man should expect to live even longer. Shatapath Brahman says so in 1/9/3/19.

Kurvan eva iha karmAni jijiviset satam samAh

Evam tvayi na anyathA itah asti na karma lipyate narah.

.....Shukla Yajur Ved 40.2

“ If a man wishes to live a hundred years on this earth, he should live performing (shastra vihita) karma. For you, who cherish such a desire and regard yourself as a man, there is no other way by which you can keep karma from clinging to you. “

This is the Devhit Aayu. It does not consider untimely death, or death due to illness or accident. Only a death because of old age, and that too after 100 years is Devhit Aayu.

How to attain the ‘Devhit Aayu’ ?

To attain the Devhit Aayu, man has to become a Yajnik, who performs Yajnas. A Yajnik is almost always healthy, happy,religious and helps others. 

Maitrayani Samhita (2/3/5) says: Man can attain the Devhit, pure life only with the help of a Yajna. He hosts the Yajna, and gets himself examined in the company of the Ritwij, i.e., the actual performers of the Yajna, and attains full and long life.

Atharva Ved says clearly that a Yajna removes our old age which occurs because of various persons and incidents and accidents, and saving us from an untimely death, gives a full length, 100 year life (3/11/5).

There is a prayer in the Atharva Ved that may we make such offerings in the Yajna, which will cause us to live a 100 springs, and we attain a full 100 years of life with the blessings of deities like Indra, Agni, Savita etc.(3/11/4). 

From Vidur Neeti :

Dhritarashtra said: “Man has been spoken of in all the Vedas as having hundred years for the period of his life. For what reason then, do not all men attain the allotted period? “

Vidura said: “ Excess of pride, excess in speech, excess in eating, anger, the desire of enjoyment, and intestine dissensions, - these, O king, are six sharp swords that cut off the period of life allotted to creatures. It is these, which kill men, and not death. Knowing this, blessed be thou! “

"Om Shanti Shanti Shanti"