[Advaita-l] brahmacharya in Raja yoga abhyAsa and advaita anushtAna

[Venkata sriram P]

Namaste Gopalji,
 
////
 
In this situation, how should an aspirant or a wannabe-aspirant / student
of advaita understand this requirement?

//
 
The definitions was such technical terms were no doubt twisted to suit the
taste of aspirant, but, IMHO, there is no harm in taking such interpretation.
 
The mumukSu who is treading the jnAna mArga should infact take the 
interpretations that suits his path which infact portrays the correct oriented
of the sAdhaka who is into jnAna niSTa. 
 
Just as a person who is in the vicinity of river ganges doesn't require the 
borewell to quench his thirst, similarly, the mumukSu who is a jnAna-mArga
anurakta, is not concerned about the inferior sAdhanas / vratas / karma kANDa
which obstructs his thirst for jnAna mArga. 
 
So, for a vedantin:
 
1) prANAyAma is "nAsAgra PIDana" and not physical exhaling / inhaling of breath
2) upavAsa is upa (samIpE) vasati iti upavAsaH ie., union of jivAtma & paramAtma and not abstainence from food.
3) khEchara siddhi is "khE charati iti khEcharaH" *
 
Note: khEchara siddhi is a type of siddhi where yogin achives "AkAsa gamana siddhi"
ie., able to fly in the air.  Whereas, a vedantin takes it as "revelling in hridayAkAsa"
 
Great Srividyopasaka Sivanandanatha defines this siddhi as:
 
khE nirastanikhilakriyAkramE
yA chiti shcharati shAshvatodayA
sA shivatvasamavAptikAriNi
khEcharI bhavati khEdahAriNi 

Vimala Jnana in the form of *Chit* shines / strolls (charati) in the Hridaya /
Dahara Akasa (kha). Such a Chit that shines in the Dahara Akasa is called *khEcharI*.  khE - charati iti khEchari. *kha* denotes the dahara / hridya / chid
akasa. 
 
Similarly, for a vedantin, brahmacharya implies "brahma tattvE charati (ramati) iti
brahmacharyaH".  Which doesn't necessarily mean abstainance from aSTavidha maithUna. 
 
regs,
Sriram