Brahmacharya - The Fourth Yama of the Eight Limbs of Yoga - Ashtanga Yoga
Sūtra 2.38: Brahmacarya pratisthāyām vīrya lāhah
“When the skill of appropriate relationships is completely established, energy is obtained.”
The fourth yama (social restraint) is brahmacharya, sutra 2.38: Brahmacarya pratisthāyām vīrya lāhah of Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras. When translated, this sutra means: “when the skill of appropriate relationships is completely established, energy is obtained.” In practical terms, it means to maintain appropriate relationships in all aspects of one’s life, or to behave appropriately in relationships.
Brahmacarya is an interesting one, because it is also the name of a particular life stage in the Indian tradition, that of an unmarried religious student. A person who is not married and is studying — particularly religion — is said to be in the brahmacarya stage of their life. As a result, brahmacharya is often mistranslated as celibacy, and it lacks the holistic context of the perspective of the yamas, the Eight Limbs, and the Yoga Sutras.
Brahma means “the highest”, and charya means “to move or go in the direction of.” So, brahmacarya means “to move towards the highest.”
We can practice brahmacarya in any relationship: Any relationship in which we engage can be the source of movement toward the highest. This could be with our accountant, lawyer, boss, waiter, colleagues, Yoga teachers and more; it doesn’t necessarily have to involve an intimate or physical interaction.
In relationships, we can behave in ways that support this movement toward the highest, or not. To do so, we must operate within our relationships in an appropriate manner: As defined by brahmacarya, this means we do not take what is not ours (asteya), we are honest (satya), and we are not mean (ahimsa). Additionally, in every relationship there is a set of responsibilities each person owns as their own as well as a set they relinquish to the other person, and there are benefits each person receives for performing those responsibilities.
Another guideline of brahmacharya is to not have dual relationships (teacher-friend, parent-friend, boss-student, teacher-lover, and so on). It is too hard to juggle several different relationships and also keep the asteya and the aparigrahāh (non-hoarding, not accepting, non-greed) clean. Duality often destroys both relationships.
Brahmacarya applies to all people at any stage of life. We can either be in appropriate relationships or not, and an appropriate relationship always follows the principles and guidelines of the previous three yamas.
Patañjali specifically chose the order of the words and rules [in the yamas] so that the idea of social restraints and ethics build: How we behave in the world is very helpful in establishing peace and calm (sattva) which is very helpful in enabling us to be more consistent and accurate at identifying our Knowing from our egos or wrong identities (this is one of the kleśas, called āsmita, and is discussed in the first section of chapter two: Kriya Yoga).
As discussed in my previous blog on Ashtanga Yoga - The Eight Limbs of Yoga, that discernment (viveka khyati) is greatly aided by a stable mind. A stable mind is greatly facilitated by a lack of drama in one's life. A lack of drama can be created if we are not harming others (ahimsa), if we are honest (satya), if we are not taking what is not ours (asteya), and if we maintain appropriate relationships with other people (brahmacharya). If we are following all of these principles, the result will be a mind that is stable and directable — one that is helpful in acquiring discernment (viveka khyati), which is the goal of the Eight Limbs of Yoga.
When all of our relationships are appropriate, we have good boundaries, and our roles and communication are clear. There is no drama or upset, but of there is, it is resolved quickly.
Think of how much energy we lose tied up in inappropriate relationships: hours, days, weeks, months, and sometimes years!
When we engage in an appropriate relationship, the navigation of that relationship requires less effort; it is easier, supportive, and smooth.
So, we do not add insult to injury, we must be honest, and we do not take what is not ours. All of these principles make an appropriate relationship. Through appropriate relationships, immense energy is made available to us, in turn helping us move toward the highest — this is brahmacharya.
A note for context: My perspective is based in the Viniyoga/Desikachar lineage. Viniyoga is a traditional Indian lineage of Yoga taught by TKV Desikachar, who was the son of Krishnamacharya. My teacher, Chase Bossart, was a 20+ year private student of Mr. Desikachar. I have studied this text with Chase, word for Sanskrit word, for over three years.
Stay tuned to learn more about each of the five yamas, as well as the rest Eight Limbs in my upcoming blog articles.
Namaste,
Kelly