The Patanjali Yoga Sutras give five Yam: Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya and Kshama. Some more are given in other scriptures. On the surface they are like dos and dont’s for the individual. But a closer study shows us that they are principles for social interaction by which an individual interacts and cooperates successfully with his fellowmen in society and does his dharma or duties towards all. Sage Patanjali says that the yam are not limited by class, country, time or situation. They are the Universal Great Vows for all mankind.
Ahimsa or Non Violence: The literal meaning of Ahimsa is not to kill or harm anyone. Yoga demands ahimsa in totality. It means not to kill or harm anyone. It also means not to hurt anyone verbally. It includes not thinking harm to anyone. It is not just physical but also verbal and mental following of the principle. We must live a life of compassion and respect towards all beings and revere them as expressions of Divinity. By doing so, we let go of fear and insecurity in our lives and the need for abuse. We understand that when we harm others in anyway, it comes back to us as karma payback. By being established in peace and non violence, we are not a source of dread, pain or injury to anyone. Following a vegetarian diet is also a part of ahimsa. We must train ourselves gradually to follow this principle to the fullest extent possible.
A person who follows ahimsa over a long period of time and is established in it, emits powerful vibrations of peace. These vibrations affect his surroundings and the people who come in contact with him. These vibrations wipe out the need to injure or harm others in the minds of those who come in contact with such a person. Buddha was one such outstanding example. Mad elephants and murderers became calm and peaceful in his presence. In the ashrams of the Rishis of yore, the lion and cow, the peacock and snake lived in peace without harming or hurting each other.
Satya or Truthfulness – Truthfulness does not just mean not to speak lies. It also means to understand the speech of others in the manner told and not add to it. We should speak out what we see, understand and hear without deviations or additions from our mind and ego. We must keep the promises we make. We should be fair, accurate and frank in our discussion and not deceitful. We should not indulge in slander, gossip or backbiting. Truth should be used for bringing about comfort and peace and not destruction of others. Mahabharata has analysed and classified the truth as under: Silence is better than the speech, true speech is greater than the silence, speech as per one's dharma is the best. True speech according to dharma is that which is pleasurable and useful to others. Such speech is the greatest.
When we speak to truth over a period of time, we get vachasiddhi. It means we get fluency of speech, we express information lucidly and clearly and what we speak comes true.
Asteya or Non stealing – It means we should not steal, thieve or fail to settle our dues and debts. It also includes controlling our desires and living within our means. If we fail to control our desires, we will borrow or steal money or things from others to fulfil our raging desires. We should not use borrow things for unintended purposes or keep them beyond the due time. We should not gamble or defraud others. We should not use the name, rights or resources of others without permission or acknowledgement. .
Steya means theft. Asteya means not stealing anything. It not only means not stealing something that belongs to someone else, but also means not keeping with self anything which does not belong to us. For eg, we find some money on the road and there is no one around. As we bend to pick it up, our conscience screams that it is not ours and our mind reasons that there is no one around and so let us take it and use it. In this battle between the conscience and mind, our heartbeats goes up, blood pressure rises and we are restless and distressed. When we offer the same money to a poor person or a needy one or temple , we heave a sigh of relief and feel much better. By observing Asteya or non stealing, we save our body and mind from a lot of stress.
Contd in next blog on Yam
