an article by
Sissy Karydi
In the first step of the 8limbs , in the Yoga Sutras , toward the Self realization
are given the 5 ethical concepts that train one’s actions, speech and thoughts in
relation with the community that one lives in.
Yamas, the first limb, consists of 5 parts :
Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Bramacharya, Aparigraha
It is very interesting how Sri.K.Pattabhi Jois in his book ‘Yoga Mala’ , explains
Bramacharya – the wise use of the sexual energy .
Brahmacharya pratishthayam virya labhah
[ Upon being established in bramacharya, there is the attainment of the vital energy. ]
Patanjali Yoga Sutras chapter 2, verse 38
“ Maintaining brahmacharya nowdays is difficult because there are so many things that attract the mind in different directions, such as theaters, pleasure houses, restaurant and the like. The preservation of brahmacharya is thus an uphill task.
Now, a question arises, if we cannot maintain brahmacharya, does it not amount to saying that yoga is impossible for us? No, a man can achieve some degree of brahmacharya . If he is to achieve it , however, he must avoid the following as much as possible: mixing with vulgar people; going to crowded areas for recreation; reading vulgar books; which disturbs the mind ;going to theater or restaurants; conversing secretly with strangers of the opposite sex. If these are avoided, brahmacharya can be preserved in part. For it is by brahmacharya alone that we are able to achieve impossible tasks: to live longer; to conquer death;
and above all, to know the true Self.
As Patanajali’s sutra clearly states, a gain in vitality is brahmacharya’s fruit. If a gain in vitality is the fruit and , in the case of householders, there is occasion for loss of vital fluid, does it mean that a householder cannot attain brhamacharya?.
This , of course , is true: householders lose brahmacharya owning to seminal loss. With the loss, they lose the strength of their bodies, minds, and the sense organs; in addition, moksha [ spiritual liberation ] and the capacity to perceive the soul or realize the true Self, ones remains in the cycle of birth and death,
and thus must continue to suffer in this sapless and despicable world. However, understanding properly the meanings of the word brahmacharya and virya labhah , and then putting them into practice, leads us to the supreme goal.
By examining another scriptural statement :
Ye diva ratra samyujyante pranameva praskandante
Tatryrudrarau rathya samyujante bramacharya eva
[ Those who daily engage their energy through romantic activity truly dissipate (their energy). Those who take delight when the enemy of Shiva is in decline indeed engage in brahmacharya.]
We come to know that if a man has sexual intercourse with his wife during the daytime, his power of vitality will be lost, in a very short time, death will conquer him.
The shastrakaras [ are the authors of shastras , which are sacred texts or books of divine authority ], state that if sexual intercourses is engaged in only at nights and in accordance with the menstrual periods, then even
householders and he like can be regarded as brahmacharis. But the matter of day and night, as well as of appropriate time of copulation, have to be taken into consideration. Normally, we consider days as the period from sunrise to sunset. Similary, we consider night as period from sunset until the time of sun’s rising again. However, the way of determining day and night yogi is different. Of the nostrils of the nose through which we breath, the right one is known as surya nadi (sun channel ), and the left as chandra nadi ( moon channel ). For yogis, day and night are determined on the basis of these two nadis . During day the two nadis are not to be heeded. However, during nighttime, their transformation should be considered. If, during the nighttime, the breath is moving only through the right nostril, then that is to be regarded as the daytime
and, during that period, copulation and the like are not to occur. If, during the night, on the other hand, the breath is only moving the left nostril, then is the occasion for sexual activities. (Should the chandra nadi become active during daytime, however, it must not taken as an occasion for engaging in sexual activities.) In this way should the householders who are righteous- whether are yogis or not – ascertain day and night.
In addition to the matter of day and night, the menstrual cycle must also be considered. The interval between the fourth and the sixteenth day of a woman’s cycle is regarded as the correct time for intercourse by scriptural experts.
Beyond the sixteenth day, however, it ceases to be correct; vitality will be lost and the act will not be fruitable. When we accept the stage of householder, we make a promise to God, Guru, and our parents in this way. We also make a promise that we will do nothing apart from our lawful wife with respect
to dharma, artha and kama [ righteousness, wealth, and desire, respectively ]. Hence it is very important that we beget legal pregnancy. Engaged in after the sixteenth day, as well as on the days of the new and full moons, the transitory day of the sun ( when the sun monthly enters a new constellation ),
and the eighth and fourteenth days after the full and new moons, sexual intercourse and like are not related to brahmacharya.
In truth, establishing the mind in the Supreme Brahman, without allowing wander here and there, is brahmacharya. The word veerya means vitality. The transformation of the 32 drops of blood is veerya or dhatu[semen]. { it is said that the food we eat is transformed over a period of 32 days, into one drop of blood. After 32 drops of blood have been distilled, 32 days must pass for those drops to , in turn , become one drop of vitality. After 32 drops of vitality have been generated and again, 32 days have passed, one drop of amrita bindu, called the nectar of immortality, is produced. Stored in the head, bindu
lends strength and shine to the body and mind. When the store of bindu decrease, the life span is shorten. But when the bindu is preserved through brahmacharya and the practice of viparita karani ( a certain asana ), health, longevity, and mental clarity all increase. }
If the strength of mind is to be preserved, then strength of the dhatu , which is the effect of blood’s transformation , must also be preserved. If is lost the strength of the mind, as well as that of sense organs, will also be lost, and it will not be possible to perceive the nature of the Self. Therefore, to say that from
brahmacharya there will be a gain in vitality is to say that if mind turns towards the Inner Self for the sake of knowing the nature of Self, then the strength will increase. Conversely, if the mind is interested in external objects, then the strength will be diminished.
From the scriptural statement:
Nayam atma balanhineva labhyah
[ the Self cannot be gained by the weak ]
we see that mental strength is greater than physical. Therefore, if the mind is to be steadied and brought to concentration, it must contemplate the Supreme Self at all times. In other words, whether working , sleeping, eating, playing or even enjoying intercourse with one’s wife – that is , during the three states of experience, namely , waking, dreaming and deep sleep, and all objects – one should think of the Supreme Self at all times. If the mind is thus given to constant thought of the Supreme Self, then its strength will be increased.
And it is this strength that should be regarded as brahmacharya. “
NOTE:
The above is an extract of the book Yoga Mala. It is given here as “food for thought “ and not as an attempt to guide you at any kind of self experiments, especially if you are not into a traditional, spiritual practice. And maybe can give an inspiration for already practitioners and teachers of how the study of the scriptures can deepen more their formal practices.
Namaste
