Brahmachari: Encyclopedia - Brahmachari

Brahmachari

Brahmachari is a sacred word in India. A Brahmachari literally means a person who singlemindedly follows the path to reach the eternal Brahman.

While people in India commonly use the word to mean bachelor, a Brahmachari traditionally referred to a disciplined young man in the priest caste who has taken oaths to refrain from any kind of physical pleasure (traditionally sex, partaking of meat, intoxicating substances, and gambling) that are perceived to distract the Brahmachari from attaining equilibrium and thus enlightenment. A Brahmachari is expected to worship and contemplate God (traditionally Brahman or Krishna) through meditation and community service regularly, follow complete sexual abstinence, eat only satvic food and in optimal quantity, wear simple and convenient clothes, and speak only the truth.

In ancient India this kind of life was associated with students. Students were expected to live such disciplined lines while pursuing education. After completing their studies they could relinquish the life of the Brahmachari and get married. It was, however, possible for even adults to live as Brahmacharis, but they could only be considered a Brahmachari if they had never married.

In ancient times, Brahmacharis were believed to be spiritually elevated; because of the pure life that they followed, their body was believed to glow. This later morphed into the European concept of the halo.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Brahmachari", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki