Thanks to the ill-conceived ideas of Hatayoga, this word Brahmacarya has been a deterrent to many a sincere enthusiast of Yoga.
If you are one of those lucky ones who never got into this confusion, let me briefly explain what Brahmacarya is all about, I mean as per the Hatayoga.
In a nutshell, Hatayoga says that Brahmacarya is all about ‘preservation of sexual energy’ whatever that means. It is not about celibacy. It is a weird notion which does not insist on celibacy. You can preserve your sexual energy even when you continue to indulge in sex.
I have ridiculed these illogical ideas of Hatayoga in my book “Hatayoga myths shattered”. I will skip those details here.
But I have seen many modern Yoga Gurus insisting on Brahmacarya with the Hatayogic definition of the term. Many Gurus attribute either their physical vigor or mental stamina or even their achievements in Yoga, to preservation of sexual energy or Brahmacarya.
At the same time, I have heard of some people who fear that they cannot practice Yoga because they cannot observe Brahmacarya! Some even give that as an excuse for dropping out of Yoga practice!
These are all ridiculous ideas.
In ancient India, Brahmacarya stood for a stage in one’s life when one lived in a residential school along with his teachers as a student – Brahma means ‘teacher’ and Carya means ‘to be with’. That is the time when you study in a school. It has no direct relation with your being celibate or preserving sexual energy.
However, all students are advised to restrain their desires for pleasures. Going after pleasures would divert their attention from studies. So, it is advisable to focus on studies rather than on other things. There is time for enjoyment later in life, as I discussed in a previous episode.
So also, when you want to pursue Yoga practice. It is better that you maintain a single-minded devotion to it. Lesser distraction means better mental focus. That is what Brahmacarya aught to have meant. You focus on Yoga the way a student focusses on his studies.
In Bhagavad Geetha, Krishna defines Yoga as a balanced way of living. Neither complete self-denial, nor over indulgence. Krishna says that all our activities whether it is eating or any other enjoyment, our interactions with the world and so on, should be ‘Yukta’. That is, they should be appropriate and restrained. If one practices Yoga that way, Krishna says that Yoga can alleviate all our miseries.
What is appropriate may vary from person to person and occasion to occasion.
This does not mean that I am for a carefree style of living. There is no scope for promiscuity. No over indulgence in sense pleasures. Just keep it within essential limits.
That is what Patanjali means when he stipulates Brahmacarya as the 5th do in his first step of Yoga namely, Yama. This interpretation is well within the connotation we come across in Buddhist meditative practices also. Even Bhagavad Geetha and the Upanishads endorse the same view.
It is just that Hatayoga side-tracked the issue. Ironically, it is among the Hatayoga Gurus we come across lapses. A recent case is that of a Guru who got caught in some sex scandals, which his followers try to brush aside as valid Tantric practices of Hatayoga! This Guru even used to make the disciples sign an agreement that they have no objection to such practices!
That is what happens when you don’t understand Yoga properly. Or when you try to misinterpret it.
In the previous episodes, we looked at the 5 dos of the first step of Yoga namely Yama. Let me reiterate. These 5 dos are Ahimsa, Satya, Astheya, Aparigraha, and Brahmacarya. Or to put them in rough English words, these stand for non-indulgence in avoidable harm to others, practicing a 3-way honesty, not taking what you are not entitled to, not amassing wealth, and having restraint over desires.
In subsequent episodes we will discuss about the second step of Yoga namely, Niyama. Please do join me then.
A series revolving around Mind – Science of Mind, Philosophy of Mind, Notions of reality, Mind modulation, Domains beyond Mind, and so on. © Dr. King 2019
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