Urdhvaretas ("a man whose sperm is sucked upward").
An epithet for someone who has taken a vow of celibacy,
especially if it is a lifetime commitment.
Celibacy is significant in Hindu tradition not only because
it absolves one of the pleasures of the body, but also because semen is
regarded the concentrated essence of a man's vital energies on a more
fundamental level.
While it is required to expend semen for procreation, it
should otherwise be kept in order to maintain one's vital powers.
According to common belief, after a period of celibacy, a
man's semen is drawn upward to the brain, where it feeds his intellectual and
spiritual capabilities.
