6 Points Why Masturbation Is Not a Sin in Hinduism
Is masturbation a sin in Hinduism? The Hindu argument against masturbation is based on the concept of Brahmachrya.
“Now what people call yajña (sacrifice) is really Brahmacharya, for only by means of Brahmacharya does the knower attain that world (of Brahman). And what people call Ishta (worship) is really Brahmacharya, for only worshipping by means of Brahmacarya does one attain the Atman (the liberated Self). Now, what people call the Sattrayana (sacrificial session) is really Brahmacharya, for only by means of Brahmacharya does one obtain one's salvation from Sat (Being). And what people call the Mauna (vow of silence) is really Brahmacharya for only through Brahmacharya does one understand the Atman and then meditate. Now, what people call an Anasakayana (vow of fasting) is really Brahmacharya, for this Atman never perishes which one attains by means of Brahmacharya. And what people call the Aranyayana (life of a hermit) is really Brahmacharya, for the world of Brahman belongs to those who by means of Brahmacharya attain the seas Ara and Nya in the world of Brahman. For them there is freedom in all the worlds”.
(Chandogya Upanishad, VIII.5.1 - VIII.5.4)
Brahmacharya is only a virtue and is not a must. Brahmacharya is interpreted based on various opinions of sages. In the book of Manu smriti the Brahmans are forbidden from wasting ones manhood.
“Let him always sleep alone, let him never waste his manhood; for he who voluntarily wastes his manhood, breaks his vow”.
(Manu Smriti 2.180).
The following verse or Sloka is used by Hindus to argue that masturbation is also forbidden for non-Brahmin castes as well.
“If a householder willingly causes the discharge of his virile seed otherwise than in sexual intercourse, he should recite the Gayathri verse one thousand times, and should perform three Pranayamas”.
(Parashara Smriti, Chapter 12, Sloka 63).
These verses or in other words, Slokas forbid masturbation. But in the Kamasutra which was compiled by Vatsyayana somewhere between 400 BCE and 200 CE it mentions masturbation in a positive light.
“The nurse's daughter, female companions, and slaves, dressed as men, take the men's place and use carrots, fruits, and other objects to satisfy their desire”
(Kamasutra by Vatsyayana page 376 English translation by Alan Danielou)
“When men have no women to sleep with, they satisfy themselves with other kinds of vulvas, or with dolls, or else masturbate”.
(Kamasutra by Vatsyayana page 377 English translation by Alan Danielou)
What is mentioned in the Kamasutra cannot be taken as Hindu law because the above instances mentioned are what was practiced by certain individuals and kings. There are sixty four sexual positions the Hindus are encouraged to learn and practice in the Kamasutra which according to Vatsyayana was the methods bestowed by the Hindu deities. But the above instances mentioned in the Kamasutra are not the sixty four methods mentioned.
Rather they are the actions done by kings, courtesan and others which are not laws of Hinduism hence cannot be regarded as a religious code.
What is mentioned in the Manu smriti or the laws of Manu is more accepted as its believed to be the instructions given by Manu the progenitor of humankind according to Hindu mythology stated in the Mahabharata Book 1:Adi Parva,Sambhava Parva:Section LXXV but still the shruti is what is accepted more than the smriti
The Parashara smriti is a set of rules by the sage Parashar who put a set of rules for the Kali age. As he says in the Parashara smriti,
“All these (laws) have been heard (by me as they were)
Expounded by thee; they embody the sense of the Veda;
(They) have not been forgotten by me. (They are) the laws”
(Parashara Purana Adyaya 1, Sloka 16)
The laws in the Manu smriti and the Parashara smriti are more acceptable more than the Kamasutra because the Kamasutra is the actions of the commoners and not laws. We should understand that the more accepted Hindu scriptures like the shruti's do not forbid masturbation and only the smriti forbids it.
“Now what people call yajña (sacrifice) is really Brahmacharya, for only by means of Brahmacharya does the knower attain that world (of Brahman). And what people call Ishta (worship) is really Brahmacharya, for only worshipping by means of Brahmacarya does one attain the Atman (the liberated Self). Now, what people call the Sattrayana (sacrificial session) is really Brahmacharya, for only by means of Brahmacharya does one obtain one's salvation from Sat (Being). And what people call the Mauna (vow of silence) is really Brahmacharya for only through Brahmacharya does one understand the Atman and then meditate. Now, what people call an Anasakayana (vow of fasting) is really Brahmacharya, for this Atman never perishes which one attains by means of Brahmacharya. And what people call the Aranyayana (life of a hermit) is really Brahmacharya, for the world of Brahman belongs to those who by means of Brahmacharya attain the seas Ara and Nya in the world of Brahman. For them there is freedom in all the worlds”.
(Chandogya Upanishad, VIII.5.1 - VIII.5.4)
Brahmacharya is only a virtue and is not a must. Brahmacharya is interpreted based on various opinions of sages. In the book of Manu smriti the Brahmans are forbidden from wasting ones manhood.
“Let him always sleep alone, let him never waste his manhood; for he who voluntarily wastes his manhood, breaks his vow”.
(Manu Smriti 2.180).
The following verse or Sloka is used by Hindus to argue that masturbation is also forbidden for non-Brahmin castes as well.
“If a householder willingly causes the discharge of his virile seed otherwise than in sexual intercourse, he should recite the Gayathri verse one thousand times, and should perform three Pranayamas”.
(Parashara Smriti, Chapter 12, Sloka 63).
These verses or in other words, Slokas forbid masturbation. But in the Kamasutra which was compiled by Vatsyayana somewhere between 400 BCE and 200 CE it mentions masturbation in a positive light.
“The nurse's daughter, female companions, and slaves, dressed as men, take the men's place and use carrots, fruits, and other objects to satisfy their desire”
(Kamasutra by Vatsyayana page 376 English translation by Alan Danielou)
“When men have no women to sleep with, they satisfy themselves with other kinds of vulvas, or with dolls, or else masturbate”.
(Kamasutra by Vatsyayana page 377 English translation by Alan Danielou)
What is mentioned in the Kamasutra cannot be taken as Hindu law because the above instances mentioned are what was practiced by certain individuals and kings. There are sixty four sexual positions the Hindus are encouraged to learn and practice in the Kamasutra which according to Vatsyayana was the methods bestowed by the Hindu deities. But the above instances mentioned in the Kamasutra are not the sixty four methods mentioned.
Rather they are the actions done by kings, courtesan and others which are not laws of Hinduism hence cannot be regarded as a religious code.
What is mentioned in the Manu smriti or the laws of Manu is more accepted as its believed to be the instructions given by Manu the progenitor of humankind according to Hindu mythology stated in the Mahabharata Book 1:Adi Parva,Sambhava Parva:Section LXXV but still the shruti is what is accepted more than the smriti
The Parashara smriti is a set of rules by the sage Parashar who put a set of rules for the Kali age. As he says in the Parashara smriti,
“All these (laws) have been heard (by me as they were)
Expounded by thee; they embody the sense of the Veda;
(They) have not been forgotten by me. (They are) the laws”
(Parashara Purana Adyaya 1, Sloka 16)
The laws in the Manu smriti and the Parashara smriti are more acceptable more than the Kamasutra because the Kamasutra is the actions of the commoners and not laws. We should understand that the more accepted Hindu scriptures like the shruti's do not forbid masturbation and only the smriti forbids it.