Yoga Charcha - The Yamas: Ahimsa, by Neeraj Korde
To remind the reader, Yoga Charcha is an informal discussion of Yoga literature. In this article we try to explore the overview of Yoga and Yama as described by Patanjali. We refer to Swami Ramdeo’s ‘Yoga Sadhana via Yoga Chikitsa Rahasya’ and B.K.S. Iyengar’s ‘Light on Yoga’. Most people with even a passing interest in yoga would surely have come across the words ‘Ashtanga Yoga’. They refer to the eight limbs of yoga or the eight stages in the path of a yogi’s quest as written in Patanjali’s ‘Yoga Sutra’. Importance of Ashtanga Yoga: Swami Ramdeo explains the importance of Ashtanga Yoga by stating that it is the only way to attain world peace. He mentions the inability of religions like Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism etc. to spread world peace. Ashtanga Yoga on the other hand is universal, free of any sect or religion. It is a complete way of life as opposed to a set of beliefs. It has the unique ability to lead one to personal and social well-being, physical fitness, mental peace and spiritual joy. It addresses all issues related to human behavior in daily life to the highest spiritual states attainable. Ashtanga Yoga has proved its truthfulness on the metrics of dharma, spirituality, humanity and science. Anybody in search of moksha, or longing for world peace must definitely follow Ashtanga Yoga. The eight parts of Ashtanga Yoga are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayam, Pratyahaar, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.
Yama:
In this article we take a look at Yama - the first part of Ashtanga Yoga. A yama in Sanskrit literally means a ‘restraint’ for living virtuously. Iyengar says - Yama refers to a set of commandments which if not obeyed bring chaos, violence, untruth, stealing, dissipation and covetousness. The roots of these evils are greed, desire and attachment leading to pain and ignorance. Patanjali strikes at the root of these evils by thinking in a different way altogether through the five principles of Yama - Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Bhramacharya and Aparigraha.
Ahimsa(non-violence): Swami Ramdeo writes Ahimsa is not harming any creature in thought, speech or action. Iyengar writes Ahimsa is not mere non-violence but is also coupled with love for all creatures. A yogi believes that killing someone or destroying a thing is insulting the creator. A yogi believes that every creature has as much right to live as he has. He looks upon other creations with love and finds his happiness in helping the needy rather than using them to pursue material pleasures.
Practising Ahimsa:
Not surprisingly vegetarianism is often strongly recommended by all schools of yoga. Iyengar says man kills either to satisfy his hunger or to protect himself. Personally, I would like to add that in today’s world man also kills to satisfy his taste buds rather than satisfy hunger. So in situations where vegetarian options exist killing to satisfy hunger cannot be justified. Vegetarianism is an obvious side effect of ahimsa but Iyengar further illustrates that ahimsa is a state of mind, not a state of diet. A vegetarian who is a blood thirsty tyrant is definitely not in accord with ahimsa. Iyengar further explains that a yogi opposes evil in the wrong-doer not the wrong doer himself. He prescribes penance not punishment for the wrong-doer. Opposition to evil, and love for the wrong-doer can exist side by side. This brings up an interesting question. Do we present the other cheek to someone who unfairly slaps us once? In my opinion no!! A yogi has to oppose injustice first. After stopping injustice comes prescribing penance which makes sense only for people who accept their mistake in the first place and are ready for penance. A yogi will deal firmly with an enemy who refuses to take the path of fairness. After all, the most benevolent of all, Lord Rama had to kill Ravana who was blinded by his ignorance and greed and was beyond any kind of penance.
Violence and Fear: Ahimsa leads to abhaya (freedom from fear) and akrodha (freedom from anger). Violence arises out of fear, weakness, ignorance or restlessness. Fear arises because of possibility of loss of power or wealth. A yogi fears none as he does not follow material pleasures and has nothing to lose. He dedicates all his resources for the upliftment of the needy. He puts the happiness of others before him and becomes a source of joy for all who meet him and therein he finds his own happiness. Thus a yogi overcomes fear by leading a pure life. The greatest fear is that of death and old age. A yogi does not fear death too because he has been purified by study of the self. He understands that he is different from his body which is a temporary house for his spirit. Even though the body is subject to sickness, age, decay and death, the spirit remains unaffected. I have always been fascinated by the concept of body and spirit. Although it is beyond my expertise to prove this concept we can easily see how believing in it helps a person achieve ahimsa by overcoming the fear of death.
Violence and Anger:
Violence arises out of anger(krodha). Anger arises because of pride, which when slighted causes anger, often leading to faulty judgment. Anger can be seen as a manifestation of weakness and ignorance of mind. A yogi constantly trains his mind and educates himself about the truth. He uses anger for his spiritual growth by punishing himself whenever his mind stoops low or whenever his education and experience cannot prevent him from folly. He looks for punishments for his wrong doings and forgiveness for other’s wrong deeds. Such is a yogi’s thirst for perfection. In the next issue we will take a look at the second principle of Yama - Satya(truth). Neeraj Korde is a software engineer based in
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