Back ब्रह्मचर्य Bihari ব্রহ্মচর্য Bengali/Bangla Brahmachari German Brahmaĉarja Esperanto Brahmachari Spanish برهماچاریا Persian Brahmacharya French બ્રહ્મચર્ય Gujarati ब्रह्मचर्य Hindi Brahmacsarja Hungarian
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Brahmacharya (/ˌbrɑːməˈtʃɑːrjə/; Devanagari: ब्रह्मचर्य) is a concept within Indian religions that literally means "conduct consistent with Brahma" or "on the path of Brahma".[1] In Yoga, Hinduism it generally refers to a lifestyle characterized by sexual continence or complete abstinence.
Brahmacharya is somewhat different from the English term "celibacy", which merely means non-indulgence in sexual activity. Brahmacharya is when a person completely controls his body and mind citta through ascetic means.
In one context, brahmacharya is the first of four ashrama (age-based stages) of a human life, with grihastha (householder), vanaprastha (forest dweller), and sannyasa (renunciation) being the other three asramas. The brahmacharya (bachelor student) stage of life – from childhood up to twenty-five years of age – was focused on education and included the practice of celibacy.[2] In this context, it connotes chastity during the student stage of life for the purposes of learning from a guru (teacher), and during later stages of life for the purposes of attaining spiritual liberation (Sanskrit: moksha).[3][4]
In the Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist monastic traditions, brahmacharya implies, among other things, the mandatory renunciation of sex and marriage.[5] It is considered necessary for a monk's spiritual practice.[6] Western notions of the religious life as practiced in monastic settings mirror these characteristics.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
James Lochtefeld pp. 120was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
rkswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Georg Feuerstein, The Encyclopedia of Yoga and Tantra, Shambhala Publications, ISBN 978-1590308790, 2011, pg 76, Quote – "Brahmacharya essentially stands for the ideal of chastity"
- ^ W.J. Johnson (2009), "The chaste and celibate state of a student of the Veda", Oxford Dictionary of Hinduism, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-2713223273, pg 62
- ^ Carl Olson (2007), Celibacy and Religious Traditions, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195306323, page 227-233
- ^ DR Pattanaik (1998), The Holy Refusal, MELUS, Vol. 23, No. 2, 113–127
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