Misguided Fools Say that Masturbation is Healthy

Foolish modern day materialists recommend masturbation as follows:

"Masturbation is a common activity. It’s a natural and safe way to explore your body, feel pleasure, and release built-up sexual tension. It occurs among people of all backgrounds, genders, and races. Despite the myths, there are actually no physically harmful side effects of masturbation."

They are wrong. To get a proper understanding on this this topic read the question and answer section below.

Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom

Question: What are the Ill Effects of Masturbation?

Since you answered questions related to understanding the real need of sex in a human being's life, so I also request you to please enlighten us with the knowledge about semen conservation, it's importance, and the consequences of frequently releasing it thorough sex or masturbation.

Since today most of the youth are indulged in mansturbation and they think it to be good in comparison to doing sex with some female for pleasure. So please tell that what are the ill effects of masturbation and how can one can overcome this habit.

Hare Krishna
With Regards,
Anukool Ojha

Answer: Spoiled Brain and Shortened Life Span

My Dear Anukool,

Please accept my blessings.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada repeatedly teaches us about the importance of keeping one's semen within his body. Here are few examples;

"An important word in this verse is ūrdhva-retasaḥ, which means brahmacārīs who have never discharged semen. Celibacy is so important that even though one does not undergo any austerities, penances or ritualistic ceremonies prescribed in the Vedas, if one simply keeps himself a pure brahmacārī, not discharging his semen, the result is that after death he goes to the Satyaloka. Generally, sex life is the cause of all miseries in the material world. In the Vedic civilization sex life is restricted in various ways. Out of the whole population of the social structure, only the gṛhasthas are allowed restricted sex life. All others refrain from sex. The people of this age especially do not know the value of not discharging semen. As such, they are variously entangled with material qualities and suffer an existence of struggle only."
—from purport to Srimad Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto, Chapter 11, Text 5

"The word ūrdhva-retasaḥ in this verse is very significant. Ūrdhva-retaḥ refers to one who can control sex life and who instead of wasting semen by discharging it, can use this most important substance accumulated in the body to enrich the brain. One who can completely control sex life is able to work wonderfully with his brain, especially in remembering. Thus students who simply hear Vedic instructions once from their teacher could remember them verbatim without needing to read books, which therefore did not exist in former times."
—from purport to Srimad Bhagavatam, Fifth Canto, Chapter 1, Text 26

"Our prescription is that in the beginning of life the child should be taught self-restraint (brahmacarya) 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 brahmacārī and does not misuse his semen, then he will become intelligent and strong and fully grown."
—from a discussion on Psychoanalysis and the Soul

"Wasting semen is also illicit sex."
--—from chapter summary of Srimad Bhagavatam, 7th Canto, Chapter 12

"Semen is so important that if, by the yogic process, one can lift the semen up to the brain, he can perform wonderful work -- one's memory is enabled to act very swiftly, and the duration of life is increased."
—from purport to Srimad Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto, Chapter 8, Text 1

"According to Vedic civilization, the students, they are called brahmacārī. In student life there is no sex life. Then his brain will be finished. That is happening nowadays. From the student life they indulge in sex life. Therefore not very big men are coming now—because their brain substance is finished. So a brahmacārī is supposed to raise the semina to the brain, ūrdhvam anti,(?) not discharge, but keep it on the brain. Then their memory becomes very sharp. Once heard from anyone, he will exactly produce, without any forget. Where is that science now? There is no such thing."
—from a Bhagavatam Lecture given in Los Angeles on June 26, 1975

"So to become obedient servant and to have no discrimination of sex and food, that means dogs, and they are not human beings. And camel, although he is a big animal, he takes pleasure in eating his own blood. How is that? You will find the camels are very fond of eating thorns. So the thorns they eat, and the thorns cut the tongue, and the blood comes out. It makes a taste, and he is thinking that the thorns are very tasteful. That is camel. Similarly, we are everyone camel because we are enjoying sex. What is this sex? I am spoiling my blood. One drop of semina is created by sixty drops of blood. That is scientific. So when one discharges this semina, he thinks he is enjoying. He does not know that he is spoiling his blood. That is camel. He thinks he is enjoying. He does not think that "I am spoiling my blood. And if I spoil my blood more, then I shall be attacked with so many diseases, I will lose my resistance power." He does not know. But he thinks that sex enjoyment is very nice. It is not nice at all."
—from a Bhagavatam Lecture given in Los Angeles on Sept 15, 1972

Thus we can conclude that masturbation is for those fools who want to spoil their brains and shorten their live spans.

If a man makes a determined vow never to allow his sexual organ to become enlarged unless he is trying to make his wife pregnant, he will be automatically free from this most nasty masturbation habit. Instead of thinking of sex he can read scriptures, chant Hare Krishna, or beg Lord Sri Krishna to make him a pure devotee.

I hope this meets you in the best of health and in an ecstatic mood.

Your ever well-wisher,
Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Sankarshan Das Adhikari is one of the spiritual masters of the worldwide Hare Krishna Movement. He has dedicated the last 50 years of his life for bringing a spiritual revolution to planet earth by spreading the teachings of Lord Sri Krishna all over the world. He is based in Austin, Texas and when there is no pandemic regularly travels all over the world teaching his audiences how to attain Krishna consciousness, the highest stage of spiritual awakening. He is available for media interviews and to speak to groups and organizations either in person or via the internet.