Yoga and Sex

Yogi Ashwini

Yoga as given by Sage Patanjali is ‘Chitt vritti nirodh’ — stilling thoughts of desires so that the vision becomes clear. This doesn’t imply suppression of desires. Suppression amounts to violence, antagonistic to the very basic of the five niyams, ahimsa. Brahmrishi Vishwamitra at the final stages of his sadhna had to resume a life of a householder because his soul had evaded the experience of sexual gratification. This was hampering his final exit. It is NOT taboo to give in to sexual desire. If you look back in history, most of the rishis used to have multiple wives. While we deem ourselves to be ‘forward’, we cave in when it comes to addressing such issues. However, our ancestors were well ahead of even our times. Not only did they acknowledge this urge in man, but they also provided for it in the organisation of the society. As per the Vedic philosophy, for a man to complete his journey; it was imperative to go through the four parts of life — dharma, artha, kama and moksha. Vedic masters had such deep insights into human character that realising this trait in man, they gave the concept of vaishya (legal prostitutes), ganikas (women of art and culture, who you were legally allowed take to social gatherings) and kulastree, the legally wedded wife. Curiously, a man was allowed more than one wife, if he could afford her and if the first wife consented. The man-woman relationship was taken so seriously that if a man had sex outside marriage (exception of ganikas and vaishyas), it was considered a marriage and he had to take the financial and emotional responsibility of the woman for the rest of his life. In other words, she would be his wife. However, whatever the law of the land, that must be respected and adhered to. Thus the Vedic masters did not prescribe suppression. The key to evolution is to gain experience and move beyond. It is sad, however, that in this heyday of negativity, the common man’s faith has been shattered by unscrupulous men deceiving millions for power, money or satisfying their lust under the saffron veil. It is at the hands of a genuine yogi to restore faith.