Yoga - Yama and Niyama

Yama and niyama may be respectively called the negative and positive aspects of behaviour. Traditionally, ten yamas and ten niyamas are found mentioned in texts such as Trishikhibrahmanopanishad (Mantra part), Darshanopanishad, and Yoga Yajnyavalkya. In other authoritative texts like the' Yoga Sutra, VishnuPurana only five yamas and five niyamas have been mentioned. On the whole, the yamas may be said to have greater importance. As explained in the Manusmriti "one must always follow the yamas without any exception; one gets ruined if he follows the niyamas alone, ignoring the yamas."

1) Ahimsa (Non-violence): This is the foremost among the yamas. It implies an absence of the attitude to harm others in any manner. This has been very highly spoken of in Jainism as well as in ChristianIty.But it is very difficult to bring this yama into practice in day life. A judge, for example, who is the custodian of law and order, or a warrior on the battle-field,or butcher, cannot go to the extreme of not causing any one. More importance should here be given not to the fact of killing or harming others, but to the attitude involved in the act. Thus the executioner whose lot it is to hang those who are sentenced to death,is never charged with murder of anyone, although his actual act involving killing of a human being may not different from the act of a murderer. But if he hangs anyone without the proper orders of a competent authority, his act may be treated as murder. Thus, whether an act involves killing, does not have much importance. The attitude involved is, in fact, what is most important. The definition of ahimsa in yoga is more rigorous than the ordinary sense of the term. It means excluding from one's behaviour not only such acts as would involve killing or physically offend others, but also the acts of offending others through speech or even thinking ill about anyone. A yogi exhibits ahimsa by his very nature. He does not have to think every time that he has to refrain from himsa, because it is harmful.

2) Satya (Truthfulness): This means being truthful in thought, speech and action. One can be extremely truthful in this way, only when one has overcome greed and ambition. But most of us are greedy ,end ambitious, and hence we often deceive others whenever our interests are served by deceit. Honesty and simplicity are two qualities that are a "must"for one who aspires for making any progress on the path of yoga. Honesty is not only necessary for a student of yoga. but it is something most essential for every individual in society. The student of yoga comes to look upon the whole world as a single family, and his dealings with every human being are therefore full of love and honesty.

3) Asteya (Non-theft): "Steya"in Sanskrit means enjoying or keeping with oneself what rightly belongs to others, i.e. stealing, or theft. A student of yoga, who is a man of vairagya, is never expected to steal anything from anywhere, because he has a fecling of love for all. How can such an individual ever think of robbing others of their belongings, or gathering wealth or objects of enjoyment? One thinks of robbing others, or exploiting them, only when there is no love, and there is some selfish motive. Vairagya, which puts an end to all selfish activities, greed and ambition, causes an individual to renounce the very idea of enjoying at the cost of others, and such a man retires spontaneously from all activities which may deprive others, knowingly or unknowingly, of the fulfilment of their needs. The needs of a yogi are indeed very few, and he does not have to exploit others in the slightest manner in order to make his own life possible.

4) Aparigraha (Non-gathering): This means not going after accumulation of wealth and objects of enjoyment. We usually long for increasing our belong ings infinitely, because we are greedy. An aspirant of yoga has, however, to turn his mind away from greed,and be concerned only with the fulfilment of his primary needs. Accumulati6n of wealth causes distraction-it keeps one's mind tied down to the enjoyments that are imagined to go with amassing wealth. It causes a lot of strain to gather wealth, and it causes strain too to keep it safe. And all this is nothing but distraction for a student of yoga who is truly a man of vairagya, which in the true sense of the term, involves renunciation not only of unnecessary belongings, but of the very idea of desire and attainment in any form.

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Yama and niyama may be respectively called the negative and positive aspects of behaviour.

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