Getting Yoga Ready (4.1) -Brahmacharya, a prelude

It is kind of overwhelming to write about Brahmacharya, the fourth of the yamas or restraints. Not because of the content, but because the gross misunderstanding of the context or the implication of the word brahmacharya in today's parlance. Brahmacharya does not mean celibacy alone. Celibacy is only an aspect of Brahmacharya. Then, what is brahmacharya? Why should one practice it? And why is a part of yogic discipline? Before I write more about brahmacharya, I feel that a little bit of premise setting is essential here. So let us start with what exactly are we trying to achieve by practicing these restraints and how it fits with yoga.

The ultimate goal of yoga:

At the risk of sounding repetitive and boring, let me reiterate that yoga is much bigger than the asanas and pranayama, as we know it. It is a path to self realization. It is a path through which the individual consciousness merges with God consciousness or Universal Consciousness. That is why all the major paths of this ultimate union is called yoga -bakti yoga (path of devotion -for the heart and emotions), gnyana yoga (path of knowledge, for the mind and intellect), karma yoga (path of action, for the body). All these must be practiced in tandem for them to work together and take us forward. All these paths are tools for purification of the mind.

Why should we practice yoga?

All this is fine. But why should I aim for self realization? Why should I follow the path of yoga? Isn't this only for those boring spiritual / religious people? Isn't this for those loners who don't know how to enjoy life? Why should I do all this mental and physical gymnastics? I have better things to do in life. I have work to go, business to do, movies to watch, parties to go, a family to love, friends to hang out with etc etc. But what is it that I am ultimately seeking by doing all these? Break it down to the most rudimentary, then the answer becomes very obvious. All that I am seeking is happiness!

Now, what if I tell you that all this happiness is within oneself? What if I tell you that we only need to go inwards to find this bliss -unending bliss that is not dependent on the presence or absence of any external factor, the bliss that is our very nature. Isn't amazing? isn't worth the effort to find our own true nature which is nothing but an embodiment of bliss? This is the truth that all great masters across all religions / regions / ages keep telling us. This is what they all shout from the roof tops at the top of their lungs.

And the only way to this realization is through purification of mind. A pure mind is that which is free of all thoughts and associated disturbances. This is also the aim of all religions and the associated rituals -to purify the mind, so that we can directly come face to face with our true nature. The aim of any religion is not to beg or barter or cajole God for petty favours -please make me pass this exam, please bless me with a good spouse, please give me good children, please cure my disease. No! the only aim is to absorb our mind in divine, so that is lets go of all the petty likes, dislikes, wants, needs, desires and so on. Only when this happens, we can raise above our limited consciousness and merge with the universal consciousness, the greater intelligence that runs the smallest of the atom to the whole perceived universe.

We don't even run this body of ours. Do we regulate the body temperature? Do we manage the blood circulation? Do we lead the battle against foreign bodies? Do we digest the food we eat? No! isn't obvious that there is a greater intelligence that is taking care of all this? Isn't it our prime duty to know and understand this intelligence? How do we do it? This is where yoga shows the way. And this is why we practice yoga in all its forms.

With this premise setting, we will soon look into detail about brahmacharya and the other restraints and observances. Om peace...peace...peace!