Brahmacharya means "pursuing Brahman." This term, in its most basic meaning, refers to the way of life of a young man from a certain social class during his time as a student (brahmacharin).
This is the first of a twice-born man's four ashramas (“stages of life”), that is, a man born into one of three Indian social groups: brahmin, kshatriya, or vaishya.
- These young males are eligible for the "second birth," a teenage religious initiation.
- He will then begin his life as a student, moving into his guru's home and studying the holy books, the Vedas.
- This is envisioned as a time of intensive study, religious practice, and an austere lifestyle characterized by desire restriction, with celibacy as the hallmark.
Although the four ashramas paradigm is now mostly obsolete, the term brahmacharya still connotes an austere monastic lifestyle, and it is often used as a synonym for celibacy.
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