Brahmacharya or chastity in thought, world and deed is fundamental to all spiritual striving. It is the corner-stone of not only spiritual life but a healthy and strong society. ‘Chastity is the first virtue in man or Woman’, said Swami Vivekananda. He, like all great spiritual masters, emphasized the need to observe chastity in life. He further said, ‘A man feels that if he is unchaste, spirituality goes away, he loses mental vigour and moral stamina. That is why in all the religious orders in the world which have produced spiritual giants you will always find absolute chastity insisted upon.’

On the occasion of 150th Birth Anniversary (1863-2013) of Swami Vivekananda, an article on Brahmacharya was written by Swami Tathagatananda, the Head of Vedanta Society of New York, USA. It was serially published (April-June 2014) in the Vedanta Kesari, the spiritual and cultural monthly published from this Math.

We are happy to publish the same in the form of this booklet and are certain that it will serve as a guide to all spiritual aspirants and other interested in this subject.