Meaning of Brahmacharya

Dear Sriharsha :-)

It is nice to see people showing interest in 'Brahmacharya' considering how beautiful its results are on the practitioner. I will try to put forward the answer as completely as possible.

Literally speaking the word 'Brahmacharya' is a compound Samskrut word which can be split as 'Brahmani Charyathey iti'. The word 'Brahman' means the Almighty lord, while 'Charathi' means to surrender and perform as per his wishes, so as to soon attain self-realization. One who practices the same is called a 'Brahmachari', immaterial of what his marital status is. The concept of abstinence from sexuality in thought, word and deed is a by product of Brahmacharya that helps one achieve this surrender and not Brahmacharya itself.

Coming to the practical and effective meaning, 'Brahmacharya' is a state of body, mind and consciousness in which a man essentially adopts a state free from sexual thoughts, actions and attitude for recreation. It is a state adopted by man to free oneself from the dualities of Earthly life and embrace the unipolar state of 'Ananda' or bliss whose best representation is the Blessed Lord.

In case of a married house holder, sexual activity assumes righteousness when indulged with the following objectives:

1. In producing wanted offspring.
2. In creating a healthy marital bond with newly weds during the initial period of wedded life.

As a wedded couple progress in time through their marriage, nature ideally programs them to rely less on sexual activity in maintaining this marital bond and shift to more substantial parameters such as kindness, true love, understanding, companionship and togetherness. Thereby, while a single unmarried Brahmachari is required to abstain from all forms of sexuality, a house holder or 'Grihasta' is allowed sexual contact only with his wife to produce wanted offspring (procreation and not recreation). A householder wishing to adopt the 'Brahmacharya' mode of life should work towards achieving this state of mind and action in his marriage, whereby he acquires the same benefits a single unmarried true 'Brahmachari' begets in his path of self-realization.

Hope this answers your question, Get back for clarifications if any

God bless and have a nice day Sriharsha :-)