I was watching the popular Netflix series Kota Factory and enjoying it. Jeetu Bhaiyya was coming across as such a model teacher - caring yet strict. He knew his subject thoroughly and made sure the students had no confusion about basic concepts. Until there came a scene that demonstrated how deficient even an excellent teacher like him was in comparison with the Gurus of ancient India.

One of the male students Meena was finding himself uncontrollably attracted to a female student and unable to focus on studies to the point that he stopped attending classes. He also began to indulge in excessive masturbation and then descended into guilt.

I waited with bated breath to hear what advice Jeetu Bhaiyya would give him. To my disappointment, after understanding the situation, all he advised was “Don’t feel guilty. We all do it. Take care to not overdo it. The main thing is to not feel guilty.”

This is where modern education fails.

There is a reason why I have devoted an entire chapter to Brahmacharya in my book “Revisiting the Education Heritage of India”. Indian gurus did not merely tell students not to feel guilty. They focused on teaching self-control. They explained why it was important for a student to try and convert sexual energy and in fact, every energy including anger into an upward-moving spiritual energy (ojas), which would give laser-like focus. The conservation of sexual energy was regarded as empowering and self-purifying.

It is not that sex was considered to be sinful. Far from it. After all, it is India that gave Kamasutra to the world. Sanskrit plays are full of sexual allusions. But the period of studenthood was seen as most unsuitable to indulge in pleasures of the flesh. It was a period to train the mind to control every kind of urge and bring it to a state of balance. As Prof Tarachand Gajra puts it in his book “Education in Ancient India,” students, both male and female are hardly mature to shoulder the responsibility of parenthood, should the situation demand. He explains that even their reproductive system is not matured.

A Brahmachari was required to lead a life of discipline and to exercise control on every aspect of life – food, sleep, play and even thoughts. Gurus went beyond lecturing to students about the benefits of self-control. They taught specific techniques to control the mind which included breathing, adopting the right postures, physical exercises, meditation, creating mind pictures and steering the mind towards a higher consciousness. Hatha yoga asanas such as Siddhasana, Sirshasana, Sarvangasana and kriyas such as Nauli Kriya were taught by Gurus to help Brahmacharis control their sexual impulses and reach a state of wholesome balance. This is not to say that every Brahmachari succeeded in controlling his desires, but it is noteworthy that such an elaborate system existed to help students.

Pic courtesy: International Chandramauli Charitable Trust

In recent times, many world religions are being shaken up by allegations of rape and pedophilia which had been pushed under the carpet for centuries. But the ancient rishis of India gave a lot of thought to taming the sexually charged mind. They knew that merely passing moral strictures without a proper strategy would not solve the problem.  Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras that impart the knowledge of Ashtanga Yoga teach self-control of the mind in a very systematic manner.

Brahmacharis typically wore Kaupina, a cloth with strings tightly tied over the genitals which helped to keep sexual urges under control. In fact, it was often the only piece of cloth worn and indicated the celibate status of the males. Married men did not wear the Kaupina (unless they were taking part in wrestling and other sports). The self-control imbibed during the Brahmacharya period was an important tool to retain balance even during married life. It is worth noting that young men in India were asked to wear kaupinya rather than forcing women to cover their faces and bodies. The allure of the traditional Indian woman with her ‘sexy’ clothing might have tested the resolve of many a Brahmachari.

Prof Gajra says:

The ancient sages of Bharatvarsha were the first of the wise men of the world to realise the importance of the Law of Continence technically called Brahmacharya, and likewise the first to develop the eternal truth that the aspirant for higher education should produce credentials of not only intellectual fitness, and but also of moral fitness and personal purity.

One of the main casualties suffered by the destruction of the indigenous education system of India is Brahmacharya, an institution which once prepared students for life and produced graduates of fine character. Ancient India knew well that teaching self-discipline at an age when the mind is mouldable was more beneficial to society than trying to deploy large numbers of policemen to keep a watch on crime.

Brahmacharya was the foundation on which a strong moral compass was built. Today, when India grapples with sexual abuse, corruption, tax fraud, domestic violence, anger issues, alcoholism, substance abuse and myriad other social problems, do we see the connection between them and the absence of Brahmacharya?

It is time we started talking about how to contemporize Brahmacharya. Educators and parents need to find ways to incorporate Yama, Niyama, Pranayama, Dharana and Dhyana in the modern education system. Perhaps, the experience of Gurukulas can be taken into account. In the Gurukulas I have visited and heard about, the boys and girls are extremely self-aware, respectful and centred. In the years to come, I plan to seek more insights into the methods of instilling self-control as a part of a holistic education.

Images courtesy: International Chandramauli Charitable Trust