Patanjali Yoga Sutra — एते जाति-देश-काल-समयानवच्छिन्नाः सार्वभौमा महाव्रतम् ॥2.31॥
ete jāti-deśa-kāla-samayānavacchinnāḥ sārvabhaumā mahāvratam ॥
These five yamas are very powerful moral universal commandments uninfluenced or unconditioned by race, place, time and occasion.
We see many people putting forth ridiculous excuses for not adhering to these universal commandments. In fact, these outrageous excuses are just to satisfy their ego!! Yamas and Niyamas are like a small quantity of mud grasping the heavy rocks on the slopes of mountains. If this mud slackens, the heavy rocks cannot remain on the mountains; they fall off. So does the sādhana of yoga sādhakas. His ego is like rainwater, which slowly erodes and washes away the mud; and rocks fall off the mountains. That is the reason why Patañjali emphasizes great importance for these five yamas.
How to understand the phrase “jāti deśa kāla samayānavacchinnāḥ” in this aphorism? It is as follows:
- Jāti: One might say, “I kill cruel animals only, but not the harmless ones.” This is conditional as to jāti (ahiṃsā specific to a particular kind of animal only) and hence not an acceptable vow of unconditional ahiṃsā at all.
- Deśa: “I kill in war field only and not anywhere else.” This is conditional as to place and hence not in pure spirits to be called as ‘unconditional ahiṃsā’.
- Kāla: “I abstain from non-vegetarian food on ekādasi day, because it is a holy day.” That means, “On other days, I kill for food.” This is conditional as to time and hence not ahiṃsā in true sense.
- Samaya: “I abstain from harming others so long I am not harmed.” This is conditional as to occasion and thus not ahiṃsā at all in totality.
Bhagavān Śrīkr̥ṣṇa compares the mind craving for sense pleasure to an uncontrolled ship being carried by an unpredictable cyclone:
इद्रियाणां हि चरतां यन्मनोऽनुविधीयते।
तदस्य हरति प्रज्ञां वायुर्नावमिवाम्भसि॥गीता २.६७॥
idriyāṇāṁ hi caratāṁ yanmano’nuvidhīyate.
tadasya harati prajñāṁ vāyurnāvamivāmbhasi॥Gītā 2.67॥
Ship sailing on water would be erratically carried away by a gale (strong wind). Similarly, the mind, under the influence of senses, would be carried away randomly according to the sense which is influencing (the mind).
If worldly affairs are chaos or disorderly, the thoughts involved in these affairs are also unruly, the senses indulged in these mundane matters are also unsteady and at pandemonium. The water of a violently flooding river is not fit for drinking; the air of a fierce gale is not fit for breathing. So does the violent mind failing to concentrate; and lacking comprehension. The only solution is to keep these worldly affairs at their barest minimum. Thus the senses are withdrawn effortlessly, the mind is indrawn easily. Only the indrawn mind is perfectly calm and tranquil.
