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As per the Baudhayana Dharmasutra (BD) 

A man who ejaculates his semen in any place other than the vagina becomes equal to a thief and to a murderer of a Brahmin. [BD 3.7]

AND also

The Gautama Smriti (GS) says:-

He who has been guilty of cheating, of caluminating, of acting contrary to the rule of conduct, of eating or drinking things forbidden, of ejaculating inside a Shudra woman or in any place other than the vagina, and even of performing magic rites with intent (to harm his enemies), shall bathe and sprinkle himself with water, reciting the texts addressed to the Waters, or those addressed to Varuna, or other purificatory texts. [GS 25.7]

Now, Infertility is a common problem these days and as such requires scientific - medical interventions to beget a progeny in case, if it's implicitly incurable in parents, in the form of IVF treatments, etc. A common step before that, requires testing for Infertility which requires the the laboratory conducted test of Seminogram in males. Now, as it turns out the test definitely requires the discharge of seed inside a laboratory given collectible box.

Thus, as per the above cited verses from BD, GS, and several other treatises, this fertility test stands as a violation of dharma and thus implicate a Sin. Or will it not?

Considering:

  1. It involves the very act of masturbation which is forbidden and thus a sin.
  2. The seed is being deposited inside a non-vagina (ayonija - अयोनिज).

So tl;dr:

Is the act of discharging seeds via masturbation in a laboratory collectible box for Seminogram test justified and thus not to be considered a sin? How to interpret such a situation with the dharmic lens ?

Also, as far as I recall, the remedies in the ancient past for such situation as per dharma may either be:

  1. Niyoga in case husband is not functional.
  2. A second marriage for husband if wife is not functional.
  3. Adoption (dattaka santãn) when both husband-wife become non functional.

So, Besides the above three remedies, are there any other remedies prescribed in the dharmic treatises for the 'Infertility induced situation of no progeny' ? Which of the remedies can be considered dharmic and practical in the present day modern contexts?

Vivikta
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    I believe the defenition of dharma doesnt lie in smirti. Act doesnt determine dharma. intention this was stated and followed by krishna.. 1. Dronas killing (Act of teeling lie is dharma there) 2. Act of giving life to parkisth by vowing that Krishna is brahmachari for ever. (Surgeon performs surgery on patient and the patient dies despite best of efforts) where an enemy cutting of same stomach with knief is adharma.. even tough act is same – Prasanna R Mar 12 '21 at 17:32
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    Drona was born outside womb he came from sage bradhwaja semen kept in Dron(bomboo container) similarly kripi and kripacharya was born outside womb.. The whole of kauravas born outside womb. Lord Suka maharisi born outside womb. Lot of instance like that had happened in prunas.. Like Sage Vyasas mother was born from fish.. she is actually daughter chitrangada.. – Prasanna R Mar 12 '21 at 18:36
  • If you're ejaculating for a test to diagnose and cure infertility, it may be permitted since you're doing it for dharma. But if you ejaculate elsewhere for pleasure, then it's sinful. – Ikshvaku Mar 12 '21 at 22:29
  • @PrasannaR - Well, while the examples of Drona sounds exactly like the situation. For Kauravas, they were definitely conceived naturally and as per dharma. As for Shuka - the incidents differ in several puranas and even others, these are exceptional incidents more or less and in no way, anyone in the Kaliyuga can be compared to those great personalities, to jutify one's own acts. They ought to be taken as exceptions. I'm asking about an average person in this Kaliyuga, not about siddhas, munis amd rishis. – Vivikta Mar 13 '21 at 02:23

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