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Atichara of the Fifth Vrata (Vow)
The Yogashastra, in the third prakasha (chapter), sloka 94, states that cutting the nails, hair, etc., and repeatedly kissing, etc., due to the rise of the Mohaniya (deluding) karma, are also called Anangakrida (sensual play). Or, engaging in play with parts of the body other than the sexual organs, such as the thighs, breasts, face, cheeks, armpits, buttocks, etc., is also called Anangakrida.
The Shravaka (lay follower), being extremely afraid of sin, mainly observes the vow of Brahmacharya (celibacy). However, when due to the rise of Vedodaya (the fruition of Vedaniya karma) or Mohaniya karma, he becomes utterly incapable of enduring the sexual urge, then solely for the pacification of the urge, he resorts to the company of his own wife. But he completely renounces the company of all other women. Even in the act of sexual intercourse, he conducts himself like threading a needle, not being overpowered by intense attachment or strong sexual excitement.
It is not desirable to be so excessively restrained that he remains aloof from the intense desire for sexual enjoyment and Anangakrida, and considers all the women of the world, other than his own wife, as his mother, sister, or daughter. The Dharmishtha (pious) Shravaka should refrain from such acts, which are devoid of any benefit, but rather cause a waste of time and energy, diminish spiritual wisdom, impair memory, and sometimes even lead to severe diseases like consumption, etc. The intentional indulgence in these two prohibited faults (atichara) leads to the breach of the vow.
There are some Acharyas (spiritual teachers) who have a different opinion regarding these five atichara. They say that the renunciation of only sexual intercourse with a courtesan or another's wife is required, but not the renunciation of embracing, kissing, etc. Believing this, some who are content with their own wife or have renounced another's wife, engage in embracing, etc., and in that state, these two atichara apply to them to some extent, as they are related to the vow. From this perspective, the content with one's own wife has all five atichara, while the one who has renounced another's wife has only the last three atichara.
On the contrary, some other Acharyas propound a different interpretation regarding these atichara. They say that all five atichara apply to the one who has renounced another's wife. They believe that keeping a courtesan for a certain period and cohabiting with her, since the courtesan is another's wife, leads to the breach of the vow. But in social practice, a courtesan is not considered another's wife, so the breach of the vow does not occur. In this way, for the one who has renounced another's wife, the atichara are of a mixed nature. However, for the one content with his own wife, the breach of the vow does not occur on the grounds that he considers widows, women whose husbands are abroad for a long time, fallen women, or those who do not accept their husbands, as his own, and cohabits with them, but for the one who has renounced another's wife, cohabiting with such women leads to the atichara, because it is commonly understood that she is his wife, but in reality, she is not, so the previous atichara apply. However, the breach of the vow does not occur entirely.
The remaining three atichara - Paravivahakarana (remarriage), Tivrakamabhilasha (intense desire for sexual enjoyment), and Anangakrida (sensual play) - apply to both.
All these atichara are described from the perspective of the male. Regarding the female, there are no such distinctions as Swapatisamtosha (content with one's own husband) and Parapurushatyagi (renouncer of another's husband). For her, all men other than her own husband are considered as Parapurusha (another's husband). Therefore, she has only the Swapurushasamtosha (contentment with one's own husband) vow. If she engages in Paravivahakarana, etc., then the three atichara apply to her. The remaining two atichara may or may not apply to her in relation to her own husband, like a co-wife whose husband has a fixed day to visit her. Considering her husband as a Parapurusha on that day, she engages in cohabitation with him, and in that respect, the atichara applies to her. Until a woman desires or makes efforts for cohabitation with a Parapurusha, the faults of Atikrama, Vyatikrama, or Atichara apply to her, but if she indulges in sexual intercourse with a Parapurusha, then the breach of the vow occurs. For a Brahmachari (one who is not the husband of any woman) or even one's own husband, the desire for intense sexual play would lead to all five atichara. The remaining three atichara should be understood for women in the same way as for men.