Underwear for Brahmacharya

The best male undergarment for excellent Brahmacharya leading to great strength, power, health, well being, energy and confidence is the KAUPIN (loin cloth) also called LANGOT [in Hindi], KONAKAM, KOVANAM [in Tamil],  LANGOTI [in Kannada and Telugu]. Words cannot describe the multitudinous benefits one gets from wearing the 'Kaupin'. The overall benefit for the male wearing this simple and yet extremely health promoting traditional underwear cannot be stressed enough. It is a must for all men wishing health and strength and especially the Brahmachari striving to conserve his semen and get free from sense stimulation.

Ordinary underwear (brief) fits like a bag or covering around the buttocks and the genital region. It is held in place using a rubber-elastic. The very design of the ordinary brief is incorrrect, unscientific and completely useless in serving the purpose it is meant to serve. The main purposes of the genital undergarment in the male are as follows:

1. To cup and firmly support the male gonads or testicles (within the scrotal sac) firmly in integration with the body and prevent them from shaking.
2. To hold the penis (urinary organ) in a stationary position and prevent it from shaking.

These two requirements are very important to ensure conservation of energy and for the optimum health of the genito-urinary system. It is a well known fact that not wearing any undergarment results in shaking of the penis and testes which leads to immense loss of energy and genital problems. When the penis and testes are held firmly in place and supported correctly using the 'Kaupin', the nerves leading to these organs are releived of stress which otherwise results if not wearing a supporting undergarment or by wearing the ordinary brief (which does not hold the testes and penis firm but lets them hang & sag). If the testes are not cupped firmly in place, the 'spermatic cord' (which holds the testes in the scrotum) gets loaded and eventually stretches. This leads to complications with much pain.

The ordinary brief is merely held around the waist by the use of an elastic and offers very little/inadequate support to the testes and penis. It is extremely important for the penis and the testes to be in integral motion with the lower abdomen/body and not indulge in independent movement during activities such as walking, running, exercising etc... If such movement (shaking) of the penis and testicles were let to happen, it firstly leads to loss of  Prana (vital energy), secondly strains the nerves leading to these organs/glands and finally causes strain on the spermatic cord. It has been well documented that such shaking and inadequate support is one of the causes of a host of abdominal/sexual/genital problems (such as Hydrocele, Hernia etc..) in later years. Use of the 'Kaupin' completely erases such possibilities and promotes excellent health and strength. Also, the firm waist band of the 'Kaupin' supports the lower abdomen and diaphragm from excessive strain, thereby greatly reducing the chances of abdominal problems.

To the Brahmachari, the benefits extend further. When there is a sexual stimulus, the mind sends sexual signals to the reproductive glands and these respond with arousal. This arousal then results in the transmission of further signals back to the brain and the circuit gets completed, leading to repitition of the cycle leading to more arousal and finally the expulsion of semen. In the presence of the 'Kaupin' which firmly cups and hold the genitals together, the physical organs cannot respond with much arousal. Hence the circuit is not completed. This offers the Brahmachari a better chance and more time to compose himself and negate lust by displacing lustful thoughts and replacing them with other thoughts. In the absence of the 'Kaupin' and the presence of the normal western underwear, the penis immediately starts to get erect under such conditions (as the brief cannot prevent an erection) and the circuit gets completed leading to acceleration of the sex stimulus. Also, accidental touch or contact of the hands with the penis/scrotum while wearing western briefs poses a strong possibility of sexual stimulation/arousal leading to loss of semen. In case of the 'Kaupin', this possibility is ruled out as accidental touch does not cause such a reaction (the sex organs being held firmly together and without the chance for erection are less prone to stimulation through touch).

Once a Brahmachari uses the 'Kaupin', he will never go back to ordinary briefs. The 'Kaupin' is a must for the Yogi/Brahmachari. It helps get free of wet dreams faster. The confidence, strength, power and well being one experiences from this traditional undergarment is such that one feels very unhappy to wear briefs after trying the 'Kaupin' for a month or so. In men who wear the 'Kaupin', genital/hernial problems are practically unheard of. A variation of what we call 'Kaupin' in India is called as 'Fundoshi' in Japan. It is the traditional undergarment of the Japanese. The Japanese have made good use of its benefits and to this day continue to reap the merits. The 'Kaupin' has been the traditional and preferred undergarment of the ancient Indian Yogis and Rishi's who lead very healthy lives. They used to meditate wearing nothing but the 'Kaupin' as a mark of detachment. The modern brief was unheard of until a century ago even as regards the common man. Parallely, the modern genital/abdominal problems encountered by men were also unheard of a century ago when everyone in India wore the 'Kaupin' by default.

During the practice of Yogic asana-s and Bandha-s much force and pressure is exerted in the abdomen. The 'Kaupin' works well in handling this pressure without trouble. Meditation becomes easier when the genitals are firm in place using the 'Kaupin'. Wearing the 'Kaupin' helps develop Vairagya (dispassion). It becomes easier to raise the 'Kundalini Shakthi' in the Muladhara Chakra to higher planes and enter Samadhi. All great, realized masters wore no other undergarment but the 'Kaupin'.

The realized sage Shri. Shankaracharya while praising the 'Kaupin' says:
"Kaupinavanthaha Khalu Bhagyavanthaha "
-- "Fortunate is he who wears the Kaupin" (having detached himself from the world)

The 'Kaupin' is easy to make and very cost effective. All it requires is two pieces of cotton cloth stitched together in the form of a 'T' shape. The horizontal bar of the 'T' is then tied around the right of the waist (using a single loop knot with two free ends) as a waist-band and the tail of the 'T' (which originates from the back) is passed under the buttocks, genitals, made to pass through the front of the band, pulled down once again cupping the genitals firm, making it pass under the buttocks and reach the back of the waist band from where it originated. It is now tucked deep into the waist-band (at the back) and held in place using an ordinary metal 'paper-clip' (used to hold sheets of paper together) to prevent loosening at the back. Unlike western briefs, the 'Kaupin' can be tightened as much as one wants and to one's comfort, leading to the perfect fit (should be moderately tight but not too tight). Since it is held in place at three pints (front waist, groin and back of waist), the forces are perfectly distributed to cup and support the genitals. This is very correct and the best scientific design (unlike western briefs which have only one support at the waist and the rest remains loose and hanging).

The 'Kaupin' can also be made using a triangular piece of cloth (as seen in the video used by traditional Indian wrestlers or 'Pahalwans') with waist bands at the sides and a tail. The following video which I happened to come by on youtube will be useful in learning how to tie the 'Kaupin'. (Tie the waist knot on the right side of the hip and not in the center under the navel as shown in the video). Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6jL-eZtKCI&feature=related.

Care should be ensured that only pure cotton cloth is made use of to make the 'Kaupin' and not synthetics. Cotton being cooling and absorbent does good to the genital area. The 'Kaupin' should be removed while sleeping (especially at night) to ensure that the penis gets full and unconstricted flow of blood. Dimensions of the cloth to be used for making a T-shaped 'Yogic-Kaupin' for those interested are given below

Cloth cutting Dimensions:  

1. TOP of the T (waist-band) : 2.5 INCHES wide and 57 INCHES LONG (for a waist of 34 INCHES)
2. TAIL of the T (which cups around the genitals twice): 10 INCHES wide and 50 INCHES long.

The rectangular tail is stitched perpendicular (at right angles) to the exact center of the waist band. The final garment will be slightly smaller than the above mentioned dimensions further to incorporating a piping (at the edges) by the tailor and shrinkage after wash. A meter and half of cotton cloth generally gives three such 'Kaupins'.

After a few days of use, one becomes so comfortable and in tune with the 'Kaupin' that one forgets he is wearing it, being hardly aware. It becomes so much a part of the body and one's lifestyle that one cannot do without it. One then realizes that the western brief feels very inadequate. These observations I make, on personal experience and further to many years of using the 'Kaupin'.

ॐ तत् सत्
(That Supreme being is the absolute truth)