.
YAMA AND
NIYAMA
"Control" and "Virtue"
Exerpts
from Eight Lectures on Yoga
and Book IV-Part I
by
Mahatma Guru Sri
Paramahansa Shivaji
Shivaji
"Yama and Niyama. They are in a sense the moral, logical preliminaries of the technique of [Raja] Yoga proper. They are the strategical as opposed to the tactical dispositions which must be made by the aspirant before he attempts anything more serious than the five finger exercises, as we may call them - the recruit's drill of postures, breathing exercises, and concentration which the shallow confidently suppose to constitute this great science and art.
"We have seen that it is presumptuous and impracticable to lay down definite rules as to what we are to do. What does concern us is so to arrange matters that we are free to do anything that may become necessary or expedient, allowing for that development of super-normal powers which enables us to carry out our plans as they form in the mutable bioscope of events."
- Eight Lectures on Yoga (circa 1937)
YAMA and NIYAMA
"Yama and Niyama. The Hindus have placed these two attainments in the forefront of their program. They are the "moral qualities" and "good works" which are supposed to predispose to mental calm.
Yama consists of non-killing, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence, and non-receiving of any gift.
In the Buddhist system, Sila, "Virtue," is similarly enjoined. The qualities are, for the layman, these five:
Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not lie. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt drink no intoxicating drink.
For the monk many others are added.
The commandments of Moses are familiar to all; they are rather similar; and so are those given by Christ in the "Sermon on the Mount." [Not, however, original. The whole sermon is to be found in the Talmud].
Some of these are only the "virtues" of a slave, invented by his master to keep him in order. The real point of the Hindu "Yama" is that breaking any of these would tend to excite the mind.
Subsequent theologians have tried to improve upon the teachings of the Masters, have given a sort of mystical importance to these virtues; they have insisted upon them for their own sake, and turned them into puritanism and formalism. Thus "non-killing," which originally meant "do not excite yourself by stalking tigers," has been interpreted to mean that it is a crime to drink water that has not been strained, lest you should kill the animalcula.
But this constant worry, this fear of killing anything by mischance is, on the whole, worse than a hand-to-hand conflict with a grizzly bear.
A similar difficulty with wives has caused some masters to recommend celibacy, in all these questions common sense must be the guide. No fixed rule can be laid down. The "non-receiving of gifts," for instance, is rather important for a Hindu, who would be thoroughly upset for weeks if anyone gave him a coconut; but the average European takes things as they come by the time that he has been put into long trousers.
Yama means literally "control" [restraint]. Niyama means "virtue" [good works].
The only difficult question is that of continence, which is complicated by many considerations, such as that of energy; but everybody's mind is hopelessly muddled on this subject, which some people confuse with erotology, and others with sociology.
We may then dismiss Yama and Niyama with this advice: let the student decide for himself what form of life, what moral code, will least tend to excite his mind; but once he has formulated it, let him stick to it, avoiding opportunism; and let him be very careful to take no credit for what he does or refrains from doing - it is a purely practical code, of no value in itself.
The cleanliness which assists the surgeon in his work would prevent the engineer from doing his at all.
Remember that the whole object of Yama and Niyama is to live so that no emotion or passion disturbs the mind."
- Book IV - Part I (circa 1921)
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