II.30 ahimsa satya asteya brahmacarya aparigrahah yamah

Translations:

B.K.S. Iyengar: Non-violence, truth, abstention from stealing, continence, and absence of greed for possessions beyond one’s need are the five pillars of yama

I.K. Taimni: Vows of self-restraint comprise abstention from violence, falsehood, theft, incontinence and acquisitiveness.

My Commentary: Last time we outlined the eight limbs of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. We’ve already spoken about the goal of yoga; the union of all parts of the experience of existence and now we will delve more and more into the individual practices. As we begin to better understand these sutras, it is important to know that these are simply lists. An ordering of words in order to guide us along the path of yoga.

The yamas are the vows of self-restraint which must be practiced to progress on the path of yoga. These restraints are given in order to provide the best opportunity for the inner work to progress. The yamas also help us to live in society while remaining steadfast in our practice.

This sutra lists the five yamas of Patanjali’s Yoga:

Ahimsa: Ahimsa is Non-violence. This is arguably the most important of the yamas. Doing no harm is a difficult practice because everything is so heavily intertwined. One action sends vibrations this way and that and effects the most minute to the furthest reaches of the cosmos. As Taimni states in his commentary: “Ahimsa really denotes an attitude and mode of behaviour towards all living creatures based on the recognition of the underlying unity of life.” So the point here is not to make a list of the ways we shouldn’t harm but rather to learn to respect life, all life and to cultivate an experience of understanding.

Satya: Satya is Truthfulness. Truth-full-ness. This means more than simply telling the truth. Many complications come when we lie, exaggerated, mislead, and confuse details. It is often immediately easier to fabricate a lie to get out of an unpleasant situation BUT this lie continues on and weighs heavy on its user. Concealing part of the truth is also not proper practice of Satya. Taimni explains the essential need for truthfulness in writing “Untruthfulness in all its various forms creates all kinds of unnecessary complications in our life and so is a constant source of disturbance to the mind.” By living outside of the realm of truth, we create an obstacle course which becomes more and more difficult with time.

Asteya: Asteya is the abstention from stealing and misappropriations. This goes for all things. Asteya means not taking what does not belong to you in any context. This could be taking credit for an idea, stealing, or plagiarism.

Brahmacarya: Brahmacarya is the control of sexual energy. This can be taken to the extreme form of abstinence but BKS Iyengar states that this is not necessary. “Sexual energy is the most basic expression of the life force. It is immensely powerful, and it is essential to control and channel it. In no way should we despise it. On the contrary, we must respect and esteem it.”

Taimni, on the contrary, has this to say about a would be yogi, “[S/]He may not be be required to give up sex life all at once but [s/]he has to give it up completely before [s/]he can start the serious practice of higher Yoga as distinguished from mere theoretical study or even Yogic practices of a preparatory nature.”

Aparighraha: Aparighraha means non-possessiveness or non-hoarding. Basically, take and use what you need and release the hold on the things that you don’t. With this practice, the sadhaka can begin to investigate the concept of property. What does it mean for something to be mine? What is it exactly that allows a person to say that they own something and what mechanism is it that is doing the owning?

Next time, II.31 jati desa kala samaya anavacchinnah sarvabhaumah mahavratam



Works Cited:

Iyengar, B. K. S., and Patañjali. Light on the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali. London: Thorsons, 2002. Print.

Taimni, I. K., and Patañjali. The Science of Yoga: The Yoga-sūtras of Patañjali in Sanskrit with Transliteration in Roman, Translation in English and Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Pub. House, 1992. Print.

These are just words. Practice is the only way.