YAMA NIYAMA - SWAMI SIVANANDA

YAMA NIYAMA SWAMI SIVANANDA

Eight Accessories of Yoga

Restraint, religious observances, posture, control of breath, abstraction of Indriyas, concentration, meditation, superconscious state or trance, are the eight accessories of Yoga.

Benefits of the Accessories

On the destruction of the impurities through the practice of the (eight) accessories of Yoga, arises the light of wisdom, leading to the discriminative knowledge.

Yama is the practice of Ahimsa, Satyam, Asteya, Brahmacharya and Aparigraha. Niyama is the observance of the five canons, viz., Saucha, Santosha, Tapas, Svadhyaya and Ishvarapranidhana. By practising Yama and Niyama, the Yogic student purifies his mind. By practising Asana, he gets steadiness and firmness of body. By practising Pranayama, he removes the tossing of mind and destroys Rajas and Tamas. By practising Pratyahara, he gets mental strength, peace of mind and inner life. By the practice of Dharana, he gets Ekagrata (one-pointed) state of mind. By practising Dhyana, he fills the mind with divine thoughts. By practising Samadhi, he destroys the seeds of births and deaths, and gets immortality and Kaivalya, the final beatitude, the highest end of human life.

By the practice of the eight Angas of Yoga, dirt of the mind - Explained in the chapter on 'MIND', (five Klesas) is removed and discrimination of Prakriti-Purusha comes by itself. Then the Yogi attains Kaivalya.

What Is Yama

(Among these accessories) abstinence from injury and killing, truthfulness, abstinence from theft or falsehood, continence, abstinence from avariciousness or greed, are the restraints.

NOTES

Yama is the very foundation of Yoga, without which the superstructure of Yoga cannot be built. Practice of Yama is really the practice of Sadachara (right conduct). The noble eightfold path of

Patanjali Maharshi mentions the above five chief items for practice in Yama. According to Sandilya Rishi, the practice of Saucha, Daya, Arjava, Dhriti and Mitahara is included in Yama. Saucha is external and internal purity. Washing the hands, taking baths, etc., are for external purity. Filling the mind with pure divine thoughts is internal purity. Daya is mercy or compassion, in all places, for all creatures. Arjava is the keeping up of balance of mind while doing actions. Dhriti is fortitude or mental power of endurance. Mitahara is moderation in eating.

 Universal Vows

The restraints are Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya and Aparigraha.

1. Ahimsa

Abstinence from injuring and killing, being established, all hostilities are given up in the presence of the practitioner.

2. Satya

Speaking truth, when established, leads (the Yogi) to the bestowal of fruits for actions.

NOTES

Speaking truth is the most important qualification of a Yogi.

God is truth. He can be realised by speaking truth and observing truth in thought, word and deed.

3. Asteya

Non-stealing or abstinence from theft, when established, all kinds of wealth approach (the Yogi).

4. Brahmacharya

By the establishment of celibacy, vigour is gained.

5. Aparigraha

Aparigraha is freedom from greed or covetousness. One should not try to keep or try to get in possession anything beyond the very necessaries of life When abstinence from greed is established, the knowledge of the how of existence or births comes.

1. What is Niyama

The observances are (the practice of) internal and external purity, contentment, mortification, study of scriptures and worship of God or self-surrender

NOTES

Niyama is the second accessory of Yoga. It is the practice of purity, contentment, mortification, study and worship.

Mortification, study of scriptures, self-surrender are the Yoga of purificatory action.

Benefits of Purification

(Kriya Yoga is practised) for acquiring Samadhi and for attenuating the afflictions.

1. Benefits of External Purification

By the purification, comes disgust for one's own body and cessation of contact with others.

. Benefits of Internal Purification

On the purity of Sattva, arise cheerfulness of mind, conquest of the senses or organs, and fitness for the realisation of the Atman.

2. Santosha

Supreme happiness is obtained through contentment.

3. Tapas

Through Tapas, mortification, due to the destruction of impurities, arise psychic powers in the body and senses.

4. Svadhyaya

By study of scriptures comes the communion with the tutelary deity. Svadhyaya includes also Japa, the repetition of Mantras. By constant study and its practice in daily life will lead one to have communion with God.

5. Ishvarapranidhana

By self-surrender comes attainment of Samadhi, superconscious state.

 

The nature of desire - Swami Sivananda

The nature of  desire

- Swami Sivananda  (extract from The philosophy of desire by Swami Sivananda

Desire is the first child of Maya. The whole Lila of this objective world is kept up by the force of desires.

The river of worldly life flows on account of desires.

Human life consists of procession of desires and in this procession man is immersed; he does not know how to come out of this procession.

Man is a helpless toy in the hand of desire.

Mans environments and circumstances are the materialization of his own desires. The world experience rise or falls in accordance with his desires.

All that you are all that you have and all that you shall be, is the result of your desires. Your destiny is mapped out by own desires.

The objective universe is nothing but a wheel of desire, and momentum is given by the individual mind.

Perception causes desires in immature mind.

Desire is the externalization of the mind towards objects due to a sense of want or incompleteness.

Desire is the movement of the mind towards objects because of its belief that the objects will satisfy its inherent thirst for happiness.

Desire is a projection of thought due to a feeling of limitation.

Desire is the dynamic force behind the manifestation of all objects in the world.

Desire is the mode of the emotive mind.

Desire is deeply implanted in human nature.

Desire has got a power of externalizing the mind.

Desire is the fuel. Thought is the fire. The thought-fire is kept up by the desire-fuel.

Desire, thought and egoism form one vicious circle.

Desire enhances the nature of self-assertion, self-expansion and self-love.

Desires are incentive to actions.

Desire is the greatest impurity of the mind.

Desire is never satiated even though one possesses the Wealth of the whole world. 

Desire is as fickle as monkey. It is never satisfied with the object which is already in the hand, but jumps to other unattained one. The more it is satisfied the more intense it grows.

Desire keeps the mind in motion.

When desire is produced in individual consciousness it becomes mind and hence it is bound. Mind has got an object to think upon but consciousness is beyond thinking.

Desire generates a thought, and thought in turn develops into an act.

In spite of living in the ocean of the Absolute and in reality being identical with it, you imagine yourself to be different from it due to your desires.

Om! The benefits of study and reflection in spiritual books and sacred texts - Atman Nityananda

 The benefits of study and reflection in spiritual books and sacred texts

 1. It gives us inspiration, enthusiasm, and strength to follow the path

 2. It gives us important information and knowledge for the path, the practices, the mind, the ego, the Self, the obstacles and various topics related to the spiritual path.

3. The knowledge we get from the books affirms the knowledge we already have and the reliability of our experience and as a result fosters self-confidence

4. Feed the mind with positive, lucid, sattvic thoughts. Thoughts are food for the mind and their quality affect the quality of our mind. Sattvic thoughts increase sattva in the mind and thus the mind  can function in its higher potential..

5. Feed the intellect with beliefs aligned with the truth

6. It connects us with the consciousness and vibrations of the writer that help us raise our consciousness and vibration

7. It helps us concentrate and forget the world and worldly thoughts (It is a type of pratyahara, ‘withdraw of the senses)

8. If we concentrate deeply, then reading becomes a type of meditation, especially with sacred texts such as Bhagavad Gita, Ribhu Gita, Avadhuta Gita, Ashtavakra Gita, Vivekachudamani, Moksha Gita.

9. It helps us to develop awareness of our true Self (Self-awareness)