Five Yama's

Swami Atmananda Saraswati

The Ashtanga Yoga Sutra's of Maharshi Patanjali is now seen with great reverence throughout the world for its scholarly, objective and intensive study of the mind, aiming to help us quieten the ever vacillating mind. Thanks to the worldwide acceptance of sadhana's like asana, pranayama and dhyana. People are getting nicely benefited with these sadhana's not only to gain good health but also by helping us get a stress-free & positive mind. However, it should be noted that no medication is ever beneficial if the patient is selective in a prescription provided to us by a learned man. We need to respect the entire prescription which has been so thoughtfully suggested to us by a doctor. So also here, we need to respect the entire package suggested by the great wise man to get the best of our mind, and more importantly, follow the right sequence too. 

Ashtanga Yoga, literally means, the eight limbs of Yoga. These are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and finally the Samadhi.  We need to note that the prescription starts with suggestion to follow, or rather, inculcate the Five Yama's. Yama's are those qualities which help us to naturally quieten the mind. A person who has not given due attention and importance to yama, but directly jumps to the limbs of asana, pranayama or dhyana, is like a person who keeps the fire on and then keeps on putting effort to stop the water from boiling. Yes, the five yama's are such qualities which target the very roots of a disturbed mind, and thus help us to get a quiet & positive mind merely by our vision of life. The absence of these qualities is in fact the cause for all the vacillations & disturbances of the mind. There is a cause of a disturbed mind and then there are the effects of a disturbed mind. Yama & Niyama target the very roots of a disturbed mind, while asana, pranayama etc help us to reduce the effects of a disturbed mind. So they need to be highly respected, understood, and first assimilated, much more than immediately jumping into the bandwagon of asana etc. That way alone we get the appropriate and lasting benefit as assured by the Maharshi.

The Five Yama's are Ahimsa, Satyam, Asteya, Brahmacharya and Aparigraha. We shall briefly see the meaning of these five Yama's :

1. Ahimsa : Absence of ill-will towards all those who even cause us harm or hurt. This quality is a result of our understanding & philosophy of life. We appreciate that basically everyone is good & divine, but it is some extraneous factor because of which a person becomes bad or violent, such people need our help more than our violent & thoughtless reaction. It is greater love, consideration & thoughtfulness which helps to efface the problems of others. This does not however, mean that we need not be firm or even use arms. But it implies that using of arms will be the last resort to handle the thoughtlessness of others, and such an action too will be undertaken only for the greater well-being of all. Ahimsa is basically a motivation to help and bring about the well-being of all.

2. Satyam : Satyam is Truthfulness. Truthfulness implies that we the presentation of facts by us should be as per our knowledge within. There should be no split in the personality, that inside I am something and outside I am something else. Satyam reveals an integrated and transparent mind & personality. We should always desist from the temptation of presenting a false facts even in the possibility of getting some gains outside; because if falsehood is likely to bring any particular benefit, it also kills our sensitivity to enjoy a particular situation. A split mind is a sure shot insurance to pain, grief, stress and ill-health, apart from our inability to live as per our convictions. Our wisdom becomes futile. It becomes unavailable, and we are compelled to live just the opposite of what we believe to be right & good. So one must never resort to lies & falsehood, irrespective of the possible gains. If at all we thin that the truth we know is not worthy of being spoken, then we always have the freedom to remain quiet or speak diplomatically, but one must always make it a point never to speak lies, and thus pave the path to a split personality and the subsequent disasters.

3. Asteya : Non-stealing. Every self-respecting man should learn to live as per his or her karma. We need to be satisfied with what we have earned with our hard work, and also respect the hard work of others. That for which I have not done any karma, should never be taken without the permission of the owner. It is not mine so I have no right on it, even if it is lying right in front of me with no one around. We always have the freedom to work hard for whatever we want, and if at all there is something which we need, then we need to take permission of the owner to even use it. In fact contrary to stealing one should rather feel highly indebted on receiving anything for which I have not done any work. One should feel hesitant to accept any such things, and if at all we do become a recipient of the magnanimity of someone, then there needs to be profound gratitude towards that person, and appropriate gestures are expected to express our gratitude. This quality is not only a mark of our culture but is an expression of our belief in the law of karma. It brings about self-respect, hard-work, contentment, respect of the property rights of others, and thus in totality a very positive & peaceful mind.

4. Brahmacharya : Brahmacharya means to live as a master and not a slave of our senses. It implies the existence of wisdom wherein one has gone into and understood the secret of happiness & sorrow. Such people understand about the real source of happiness & bliss. The word meaning of Brahmacharya in fact implies constant reveling in Brahman, the ultimate subjective truth of all. However, such a person who knows about the secret of real happiness, is also aware of the role & importance of sensual pleasures, and thus works for the good health of their body, senses & even the mind. The scriptures even teach the art of love to such healthy & wise people, who learn to look upon all sensual pleasures etc in right perspective and even know the art & science to make the best of it. They are not so much obsessed, brain-washed or hypnotized by the sensual pleasures outside that they lose all their wisdom, but rather retain the cap of their wisdom to live a thoughtful, intelligent & happy life. Absence of Brahmacharya is one of the most prevalent cause of suppressions, repressions, complexes, ill-health and pains of so many people. It is also the cause of so many ills of the society at large.  

5. Aparigraha : Absence of accumulation of more than what we need. We live in a big, beautiful & great world, which is being managed by none other than the omniscient & omnipotent God himself. We are never alone, are where we may be we are always being taken care of by God, by providing us necessary water, wind and what not. SO there should be no need to accumulate too much wealth etc.. Only the insecure ones resort to such tendencies, and greater is the sense of insecurity greater will be the wish to accumulate all that which makes us secure. With such a deep rooted insecurity within who can help make such people truly happy & free. As long as this isolating & limiting perception is there resulting in resorting to accumulation then such people can never even dream of happiness and real security. greater the accumulation, greater will be their insecurity and isolation and thus the pangs of limitations. Moreover, in their baseless feeling of insecurity, they even snatch what is the due of others, and thus in the long run such people and tendencies alone are responsible for the various social and even law & order problems every where. Only the strong, secure, and the truly self-reliant ones need not resort to such tendencies. If such a personality is our goal, then this value too should be very dear to us.