Patanjali Yoga Sutra — अहिंसा-सत्यास्तेय-ब्रह्मचर्यापरिग्रहा यमाः॥2.30॥
Ahiṃsā satyāsteya brahmacaryāparigrahā yamāḥ॥
Ahiṃsā (Non-violence), Satya (truthfulness, honesty), asteya (Non-stealing), Brahmacarya (Self-restraint in sexual indulgence), Aparigrahā (Non-obsessively possessive) are the five yamas (Moral universal commandments for self-control).
Here Patañjali deliberates on the first limb of yoga namely “Yama.” Yama, as mentioned above, is a moral universal commandment applicable to every human being, irrespective of caste, creed, gender, religion, etc. Each of these five yamas described is a Dharma (righteousness) and thus needs a very deeper and wider perspective to understand. How indispensable the Dharma is to our society? Swāmi Vivekānanda says, ‘If Dharma is kept away from the society, what remains is the wild of brutes’. What is dharma? Dharma teaches every man to live peacefully with others in society and in this creation. This is the reason when one follows dharma, all his confrontations come to an end. Unfortunately, some people do not give importance to this limb. If this limb and the next limb (niyama) are not practiced, instead of Aṣṭāṅga Yoga it amounts to ‘Vikalāṅga Yoga’! This limb defines the five Dharmas and the macro-level relationship a human being is expected to have with his surroundings (society) to get purity in his sādhana and has five sub-components as follows:
1. Ahiṃsā Dharma: “Ahiṃsā Paramo Dharmaḥ” said Bhagavān Buddha. The same phrase is also repeated several times in Mahābhārata. There is a world of difference between ‘human being’ and ‘being human’. Ahiṃsā is something very different from the average person on the street than it does to a yogi. Not hurting or harming anyone or any creature either physically or mentally could be an ordinary meaning for an ordinary man. But, the yogi has no foes at all. In the ordinary perception, war is not considered to be hiṃsā (unfortunately!). It is disguised hiṃsā, says, Dr.Sarvapalli Rādhā kr̥ṣṇan, one of the scholarly Yogis our India has seen. He opines, so long as the violence or aggression exists in us even in seed form, we need soldiers and wars, and we keep fighting in the name of righteousness.
There is a marvelous story in Bhāgavatam[1]. Rājā Parīkṣit was the last of the dvāparāyuga kings and one of the best kings in the history of India. Dharma was prevailing everywhere in his kingdom. He heard that Kali, who is the embodiment of adharma, has entered his kingdom. He wanted to drive him out of his kingdom. He reaches the place where the Kali was entering his kingdom. Kali was barbarically caning a bull and a cow. The treatment of those animals was so cruel that three of the legs of that bull were broken. Even the cow was moaning with acute pain. Rājā Parīkṣit gets infuriated with the barbaric incident and tries to kill Kali with his sword. But Kali surrenders immediately, prostrates to Rājā Parīkṣit and pleads that he has been ordained by the supreme God and there is no escape and that he too be given someplace to live in his kingdom. Rājā Parīkṣit obliges and says, ‘yes, in my kingdom, you may reside in four places where adharma is prevailing; they are, dyūta (gambling), madyapāna (liquor consumption — bars, pubs), veśyāgṛha (brothel and places where illicit relation exists between males and females), hiṃsa (slaughterhouses). Kali says that these places are too limited in his kingdom and need a little broad-based place so that he could spread out his role. Rājā Parīkṣit agrees to give one more place of the choice of Kali. Kali asks for a place where a large amount of wealth or gold or money is involved (Banks? Could be. Hence large scale frauds are prevalent in the Banking industry), which was granted by the king.
Even for the sake of food, it is not advisable to kill the animals. When an animal is decided to be killed, at least 10 to 15 minutes before the slaughter, the animal understands that it is going to be killed and gets tensed, starts weeping; the body of the animal becomes acidic; various toxins are also produced and poured into the body. When such an animal is killed and the flesh is eaten, such acidity/toxins are also consumed by human beings and just imagine what happens. Is it worthy of eating?
2. Satya Dharma: It is truthfulness with a view to be honest. Some people say the truth with a view to cheat others! Two boys went to a fruit vendor. When the vendor had turned the other side to attend another customer, one of these boys stealthily picks up a fruit and puts in the bag of the other boy. The vendor observes this and immediately catches both the boys. The first boy says, “I don’t have fruit with me”. The other says, “I have not stolen the fruit”. Both are true but the intention is to deceive the vendor! (Fables of Aesop).
3. Asteya Dharma: Non-stealing. Acquiring anything, from anybody, when one does not have the right to possess or receive or acquire, is a broader perspective of asteya.
4. Brahmacarya Dharma: Discipline involving sexual purity, chasteness (both physically and mentally).
5. Aparigrahā Dharma: Not accumulating things beyond plain wants of one’s life, which are really necessary for satisfying the simple needs of one’s life. Even those simple satisfiable needs should be conducive to his sādhana. Thus, being free from greed, yogi is expected to lead a pure and simple life, so that his focus is steadfast on yogasādhana. Look at the aparigraha, simplicity of Mahātma Gāndhīji: Gāndhīji was invited to have tea with King George V at Buckingham Palace in 1931. A reporter asked: ’Mr. Gāndhi, do you think you are properly dressed to meet the king?’ Gāndhiji replied: ’do not worry about my dress. The king has enough clothes on for both of us’.
On another occasion, Gāndhīji was asked why he always prefers to travel by third class in the train. Gāndhīji replied — ‘because there is no fourth class’. This is also a wonderful solution for our contemporary days, where man, owing to his greed, is just destroying the sensitive ecology. If viveka is discriminatory knowledge of Sat and Asat, vairāgya is detachment from all that asat and holding on to the Sat.
Bhagavān Śrīkr̥ṣṇa’s advice for yogasādhakas is very interesting:
ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते।
सङ्गात्सञ्जयते कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते॥२.६२॥
क्रोधाद्भवती सम्मोहः सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः।
स्मृतिभ्रंशात् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति॥२.६३॥
dhyāyato viṣayān puṃsaḥ saṅgasteṣūpajāyate|
saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho’bhijāyate॥Gītā 2.62॥
krodhādbhavati sammohaḥ sammohāt smṛtivibhramaḥ|
smṛtibhrāśāt buddhināśo buddhināśāt praṇaśyati॥Gītā 2.63॥
When a person constantly longs for sense gratification, slowly he develops an inclination towards them. This inclination slowly breeds a strong desire (for sense gratification) and the desire breeds resentment. This resentment transforms into illusion and which in turn gives way to memory loss. This memory loss leads to loss of wisdom, which propels the sādhaka into total destruction. This is how a sādhaka degenerates (when his senses remain uncontrolled, desires unchecked, emotions uncultured).
Control of senses and observance of the accepted code of disciplines are the hallmarks of a cultural man and yoga is the means of unfolding the moral and spiritual potentials of man. Vivekānanda says, ‘we think we are the human beings having spiritual experiences. No, we are the spiritual beings having human experiences’.
[1] Bhāgavatam, Prathama Skandha, 17th Chapter.
