The five yamas of pathanjali
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- Ahimsa or non-violence means completely removing violence from within and harming no other beings, as harming others also harms oneself. The positive aspect of non-violence is love. - Satya or truthfulness requires removing falsehood and deception from our lives. To follow this path, we must have the courage to face realities and remove pretense. - Asteya, or non-stealing, includes honesty and non-exploitation. To achieve this, we must learn self-satisfaction and conquer desire, which prompts stealing. Honesty guarantees a peaceful life without stress or fear. - Brahmacharya means centeredness, avoiding extremes and restricting waver
The five yamas of pathanjali
- 1. Ahimsa (Non-violence) Satya (Truthfulness) Asteya (Non-stealing) Brahmacharya (Centeredness) Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
- 3. • Ahimsa or Non-violence means to completely eradicate violence from our inner-self. The very thought of inflicting harm upon others is to be removed from the mind. Nothing can be achieved by harming others or ourselves, and to harm others is to also harm ourselves. There is no need for this once we understand our true nature and essence. The positive side of nonviolence is love. When our hearts are filled with love, no thoughts of violence arise in us and such state of mind is congenial for yoga Sadhana.
- 4. Stop all kinds of violence Violence is of many forms and hues and it need not be limited to physical violence. In fact physical violence is the mildest one and that will get healed in a few days. Mental harassment is most cruel kind of violence and has many hues, such as:
- 5. Office violence: Giving an employee certain work load which Is beyond his /her capacity is nothing but inflicting violence. It results in • Increase in stress levels •This stress transforms to physical illness, such as increase in Hypertension, loss of memory, diabetes etc. • Increases impatience and as a result the family life gets disturbed. • and many more ……… Let employers understand this and try to assess the capabilities of employees and assign duties accordingly.
- 6. Violence by word of mouth: Our words are always melodious to us, but they may not be so to others. If we go on uttering something nonsense without taking into consideration of the listener’s state of mind, interest etc., it hurts the listener more than physical abuse. Those words need not be in the nature of scolding and rebuke. Using words that hurt the feelings and sentiments of others is also violence. Using words that creates fear, dismay and shock are also considered as violence. Creating high pitched sounds using megaphones etc, creates mental distress so those are to be avoided.
- 7. Self Inflicted violence: Violence is not only caused by outsiders, at times we ourselves are cause of violence on us. Brooding over misgivings, non- performance, self pity are some of the things that affect our brains and inflict un- repairable damage to us. Taking/accepting responsibility which is beyond our capacity is also self inflicted violence.
- 8. Create an atmosphere of Peace , Harmony, Mutual Co-operation, Togetherness and Love in Home, Office, Community and Society at large. Love yourself, Your fellow being, Society, Nature and Everything on Earth. That is the complete expression of Ahimsa (Non-violence).
- 10. • Satya or Truthfulness means removing the veils of falsehood and deceit from our lives. We gain nothing by being false. To preserve a lie we have to lie a hundred times and live a life of deception. To follow the path of truthfulness, we only need courage to face the realities of life. First let us be truthful to ourselves in every action. The farther we remove ourselves from falsehood, the closer we move to truth.
- 11. Truthfulness is understanding our own nature without pretentions and falsehood. Removing the pests of lies those are harmful to ourselves as well as others. Have to cultivate good intentions for having great results. When the intentions are good and without falsehood, the Harvest is good. We should be able to decide which way to go, whether the path of righteousness or the path of deceit and falsehood. Nobody can force you into a wrong way when you strongly stand on the right path. The power of your will turn your opposition into your side.
- 12. Decide yourself, what to do and what not to do. You should understand what are your strengths and your weaknesses. Allow neither fear nor pride into yourself when assessing yourself. By constant introspection and self analysis you can improve your virtues and cut down your mistakes. Always follow the path of Truth which can help you to cross all obstacles in life with a smile. When you follow truth you don’t have any feeling of guilt and that makes things easier for you.
- 13. You are the most important person for yourself. To be good to yourself, you have to stop telling lies to yourself and others as well. Don’t strain the mind unnecessarily for creating and enacting lies all your life. You would be the happiest man if you keep yourself out of the web of lies, once you enter the web there is no going out. Stress is a heavy burden that has been carried by people, by giving false promises, false commitments and false show-offs. To be away from falsehood is to be away from stress.
- 14. Now is the right time to stop telling lies to yourself and to others. One has to live in the present, not in past nor in future; people live in lies has to remember the past lies and think of framing the future lies, thus they cannot live in present. All achievers, in any field, lives in present and that is the secret of their achievements. Write down all the deeds you have done in the day and read it for yourself. Checkout, whether there are any false commitments to yourself or others, get rid of them to have a peaceful slumber.
- 16. • Asteya (Non-stealing) also includes honesty and non-exploitation. The meaning of asteya is abstinence from theft. To steal indicates dissatisfaction with what we have, which is driven by desire for more due to greed. To achieve the state of Asteya, we must learn self-satisfaction and we must conquer our first foe, desire.
- 17. • One should be honest in all his dealings, whether they are financial or otherwise. Desire and greed are the qualities that prompt a person to steal things of others. Both desire and Greed should be treated as our enemies, once we caught up by them, they lead us to our doom. • Above all, honesty guarantees us a peaceful life without stress and fear. Be honest to yourself and to others in all aspects of life.
- 18. • The least offensive kind of stealing it stealing of food for one’s survival. It is the minimum responsibility of Governments to ensure that their citizens get work for earning their food honestly. • To abstain from something is not easy, but with practice and control one can easily learn it. Even the mighty elephant dances to the command of its trainer, who is not a compare before its size and strength.
- 19. • The more severe kinds of stealing are theft of Identity, theft of intellectual property etc. It is difficult to identify those people who do this kind of stealing as they are next to you and looks like gentlemen. Beware of them. • There is another kind of stealing, which is called exploitation. It is spread everywhere and is to be curtailed. Everybody should feel that it is their duty to fight against all kinds of exploitation, united.
- 20. • There are high-tech thieves who may steal your money from your Bank account, provident fund, tax refund and the benefits due to you from the government. You should be vigilant all the time to safe guard your assets from these thieves. • Everybody should take a vow that they do not steal from others and should not allow others to steal them.
- 22. • Brahmacharya is continuity and centeredness. The general meaning is also celibacy and to control sexual thoughts. However, the etymological meaning of the word is something different. Brahma + Charya = the creative principle + the action. That means action by the creative principle. More precisely, brahmacharya means centeredness, avoiding extremes and restricting wavering.
- 23. • Bramhacharya means centeredness, avoiding extremes and restricting wavering. It is required for achieving anything in life, whether mundane or spiritual. • One has to have control over his mind and once the mind is under control and balanced, it will decide our actions and guide us through out the execution.
- 24. • Bramhacharya also means celibacy. Celibacy mentioned here is more of mental rather than physical. One who indulges excessively in sexual thoughts, lacks concentration in thought and action and fails in judgment. If consumed by the flames of lust, it leads to obsession and hence, enslavement • Like a duck in the water, one has to be stable in the ebbs and flows of situations and circumstances.
- 25. • Life is a tight rope walk, which needs an unwavering mind and the thoughts should be well synchronized with action. • When an incense stick is burned in the open, the smoke spreads out without direction. If the mind is allowed to waver, no decision can be taken and no action follows.
- 26. • One’s thoughts should be under the control of his/her own will, which facilitates him/her to concentrate on the required object, without wavering. •One’s attention should be centered on the path leading to his destination, not on the side ways.
- 27. • Bramhacharya helps one to practice Yoga with measurable results and the practice of Yoga helps one to maintain Bramhacharya. Both are interdependent like water and forest. •With unwavering mind pursue your goals, you never fail.
- 29. • Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness) is the last of the five yamas. The desire to own things is possessiveness. It is a part of kama (desire), our first foe. Once we have decided to fight this enemy, we can easily overcome it.
- 30. • One may wish to possess the entire world, nay, universe. But is it possible ? Desire and greed are the root causes to the idea of possessiveness. If one is infested with the idea of possessiveness, he/she spends the entire life for that purpose and cannot enjoy life. • You can enjoy the nature as much as you want, but you cannot keep it only for yourself. It is the gift of God / creation , not only for human beings but also for all living beings. Learn to share with all. This is Aparigraha.
- 31. • Our life in this world is impermanent and the worldly possessions are just like foot steps on a sandy path. Even if there is another life, as some believe, one cannot carry or transfer his/her possessions to that life. Instead of having material possessions, possess love, happiness and joy. • If one’s desire goes beyond the minimum needs to live, it becomes greed. A greedy person, who wanted to possess everything under his sight, cannot enjoy his possessions in his life time. Be contended with what you are having and what is needed to survive.
- 32. • The green fields, the ocean waves, the blue sky, the rainbow , the star studded night sky with full moon; there are many such things that can keep us in good cheer. But , we cannot possess them only for ourselves and keep in our Iron Lockers. • Aparigraha gives us Joy and Liberate our souls from mere earthly existence into our Divine Self.