AUXILIARIES OF YOGA

There is also ambiguity around the term yogāṅga (a compound of yoga and aṅga), commonly translated ‘limb of yoga’, but better rendered ‘auxiliary of yoga’ when yoga means the goal rather than the method. There, while the aṅgas may be indispensable for reaching the goal, they may themselves not be considered as yoga but rather as auxiliary methods for attaining yoga and may be subsidiary to other methods. We can call those auxiliaries also as limbs. In Shaiva Tantra there are 6 limbs / auxiliaries rather than 8 as in Ashtanga later on. Asana, Yama and Niyama they were in one limb. Tarka takes place in a sixfold yoga limb as part of giving attention or meaning to the practice.

6 & 8 Yogāṅgas: – Auxiliaries / limbs / components of Yoga & Tantra

There is also ambiguity around the term yogāṅga (a compound of yoga and aṅga), commonly translated ‘limb of yoga’, but better rendered ‘auxiliary of yoga’ when yoga means the goal rather than the method. There, while the aṅgas may be indispensable for reaching the goal, they may themselves not be considered as yoga but rather as auxiliary methods for attaining yoga and may be subsidiary to other methods. We can call those auxiliaries also as limbs. In Shaiva Tantra there are 6 limbs / auxiliaries rather than 8 as in Ashtanga later on. Asana, Yama and Niyama they were in one limb. Tarka takes place in a sixfold yoga limb as part of giving attention or meaning to the practice.

• Yama and Niyama – inner and outer attitudes, whose aim is to harmonize our interactions with the outer world and with ourselves.
• Āsana – motionless physical postures for balancing the body’s subtle energies.
• Prānāyāma – the accumulation of cosmic energy (prana) through rhythmic breathing.
• Pratyāhāra – the withdrawal of the senses’ energy from their objects, with the purpose of focusing it on our inner Universe.
• Dhāraṇā – focusing the mind upon a specific object.
• Dhyāna – the unidirectional and continuous flow of mental processes around an object.
• Samādhi – Samadhi is the highest state of expanded consciousness and a complete participation of the human being in the Cosmic Life. 

Samādhi	RĀJA MĀRGA  The Royal Yoga of consciousness, the Superior Yoga System
Dhyāna
Dhāraṇā
Pratyāhāra
Prāṇāyāma	Haṭha Yoga
Āsana
Niyama
Yama

FIST YOGĀṄGA: YAMAS & NIYAMA

YAMAS

Yamas, is a Sanskrit word that means “reining in” or “control”. The Yamas are the “don’t do these” list of self-restraints, typically representing commitments that affect one’s relations with others and self. The earliest mention of Yamas is in the Rigveda, and over fifty texts of Hinduism, from its various traditions, discuss Yamas. Ten yamas are codified as “the restraints” in numerous Hindu texts. 

The most often mentioned Yamas are Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (non-falsehood, truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Mitahara (non-excess in food, moderation in food), Kṣamā (non-agitation about suffering, forgiveness), and Dayā (non-prejudgment, compassion). The Yamas apply broadly and include self-restraints in one’s actions, words and thoughts.

5 YAMAS YOGASŪTRA & ETHICS OF JAINISM	10 YAMAS ŚĀṆḌILYA UPANISHAD & SVĀTMĀRĀMA
Ahiṃsā: Nonviolence	Ahiṃsā: Nonviolence
Satya: Truthfulness (Not lying)	Satya: Truthfulness (Not lying)
Asteya: Not stealing	Asteya: Not stealing
Brahmacharya: Chastity, marital fidelity, sexual restraint	Brahmacharya: Chastity, marital fidelity, sexual restraint
Aparigraha: non-avarice, non-possessiveness	Aparigraha: non-avarice, non-possessiveness
	Kṣamā: Patience, forgiveness.
	Dhrti: Fortitude, perseverance with the aim to reach the goal
	Dayā: Compassion
	Ārjava: non-hypocrisy, sincerity
	Mitāhāra: Measured diet

AHIṂSĀ – NONVIOLENCE

Ahimsa, non-violence, not only means not causing harm or pain to any creature in thought, word or action, but also not having even a hint of aggression within your being. We shouldn’t skip this yama, for what is the use of truthfulness, non-possessiveness, abstinence from theft and so forth without establishing ahimsa in our minds and actions first? Swami Sivananda says that one of the purposes of the other yamas is to perfect ahimsa.

Giving up meat or any other type of food or beverage whose acquisition causes pain to others beings (being vegan) is also considered to be ahimsa. Usually our actions in themselves are violent, though our purposes are not at all so. When a mother slaps a child, she does so because she wants to teach the child a lesson. It is done out of love, not hatred. Therefore, it is the purpose that matters, and not the action.

It is equally sinful if we encourage others to be violent or if we are violent ourselves. Himsa (violence) is not only physical violence, but also includes manipulation, hurting someone’s feelings, psychic influence and so on. The most important thing is not to directly deny people, even if they get violent, i.e. not getting into fights, arguments, disputes, quarrels. Himsa is not considered to be violence if it is to save your life, or if you kill one in order to save many. It is said that when you perfect ahimsa, a sort of magnet will act around you, preventing anyone from doing you harm or being violent. People will start to enjoy your presence and feel no discomfort as long as they are in your presence.

In the Christian Bible, Christ says, “If one smites thee on thy right cheek, turn to him thy left also.” Christ, Krishna, Rama, Prophet Mohammed, Buddha and other saints, prophets and messiahs were great followers of ahimsa and dharma. Great saints like St Francis of Assisi and Ramana Maharshi, who could communicate with animals, were also great followers of ahimsa. Aggression is a reaction to fear and, therefore, if we overcome our fears (through brahmacharya, we can practise ahimsa.

It will be easier to observe ahimsa if we remember that whatever we do, good or bad, will come back to us in this life or in the next, whether we believe in reincarnation or not. Good actions produce good results, while bad actions produce bad results. This is called (the law of) karma, and you can’t escape it. Someone is always watching over you.

A good example is the story of the Sufi saint who called his disciples together and said, “I have five birds, one for each of you. Take them and kill them in separate places, but no one must see you doing it. When you bring them here, we’ll have a feast.” So they all came back sooner or later and gave explanations about where they killed their birds and how no one saw them. When the last disciple came, he said “I’m sorry Guruji, I failed you. I could not kill it. Wherever I went, I felt as though someone was watching me.” He turned out to be the best disciple. 

SATYA – TRUTHFULNESS

Satya, or truth, is the second yama, and also a very important qualification. Let’s take Galileo as an example of satya. He was caught by the Inquisition twice for his discoveries, but, in spite of the danger, he went on with his writing, teaching and research until he could no longer use his eyes and ears. He stuck to the truth of his discoveries till the end, because he knew they were true, and he wasn’t even prosecuted. Swami Sivananda says, “God is truth, and He can be realized by observing truth in thought, word and deed.” According to him, the thirteen forms of truth are: truthfulness, equality, self-control, absence of jealousy, absence of envious emulation, forgiveness, modesty, endurance, charity, thoughtfulness, disinterested philanthropy (being too public-spirited or civic-minded), self-possession, and unceasing and compassionate harmlessness. Under certain circumstances, telling a (white) lie to produce immense good is regarded as truth.

Swami Sivananda says that the vak siddhi (vak means speech, and siddhi is a special power a yogi receives through practising sadhana and tapasya) can be mastered by observing truth always and at all times. The vak siddhi gives you the power to make whatever you say or think turn out to be true, even if it was not so before you said it. In other words, one gets the power to accomplish things by mere thought. This is also known as psychic speech. By practising truth at all times, one also obtains the power to weigh one’s words during conversation, thus directing the result of one’s words according to one’s will.

A lie is not only a lie if you speak incorrect or dishonest words. If you acted foolishly and afterwards blinded yourself with the belief that you did the right thing, it is also considered to be a lie, even though it all happened in your mind. It’s the same if you exaggerate, or brag, in order to boost your ego. Satya is not merely abstinence from telling lies, but also the ability to see the truth, to be aware of the truth behind everything. If you tell people what they should or should not do and then do whatever pleases you, you are a hypocrite. You say one thing and do another, thereby not being true even to yourself. Why should one lie? One lies to escape the consequences of the actions of oneself or one’s associate. This is a manifestation of the petty mind. Therefore, satya also helps in overcoming the petty mind.

ASTEYA – NOT STEALING

Asteya, the third yama, is commonly known as honesty (in the sense of ‘abstinence from theft’). To be able to follow asteya, we must be satisfied with what we have, our personal belongings, our way of thinking, what we do, where we are, who we are, etc. In other words, we must not be greedy and should try to be contented. We steal things because we desire them. To be able or to be strong enough to resist the temptation to steal the object that one desires, one’s mind must be strong. Hence, through mastering asteya, one purifies the mind of desires and vrittis.

Asteya makes the mind pure, like a mirror in which your divine mind is reflected. The very thought of gain through theft should not arise in the mind, because constant desire for objects not belonging to oneself is actual theft. People sometimes feel that you desire something belonging to them, and if they are good-natured, they’ll give it to you. That is not good, because you probably did not deserve it in the first place, and above all you are depriving that person of something they may have liked. Non-expressed desires for things that are not yours is a milder form of mental manipulation towards the owners of whatever you desire.

We steal things because we desire them, so it does not necessarily mean that we steal physical objects. There are people who steal the ideas of others. That is the worst form of theft. Try to keep your desires moderate. If you cannot fully clear your mind of them, do not just try to forget them, suppress them or put them aside, because when they come back to you, they’ll have reinforcements. And if the desires become too strong and you are unable to fully suppress them, they should be fulfilled as soon as possible, or else they will weigh even more heavily upon your mind until they lead you to theft or something similar.

These desires or thoughts which trouble the mind are called vrittis. If you are too good or too kind-hearted to steal, the desires/vrittis may probably gain more power over you if you are not mentally strong; and you will soon not be able to think straight or sleep well. That is the power of vrittis and desires. If you can control the mind with its desires or vrittis, you can observe asteya. And if you can completely observe asteya, it is said that things for which you have even the slightest desire will just come to you by whatever means, as if you were a magnet. Another material fruit obtained through perfecting asteya is that one will also get the intuitive power to know where to look for and find wealth.

BRAHMACHARYA – CHASTITY

Brahmacharya is usually depicted in books, discourses, scriptures etc. as celibacy. But Brahma literally means the ‘divine consciousness’ and charya, in this case, means ‘living’ or ‘one who is established in’. Therefore, brahmacharya actually means ‘being established in divine consciousness’, or ‘being established in the higher (form of the) mind’.

Scientists have proved that only ten percent of the average human brain is active and freely accessed during daily activities. Spiritually evolved people said long ago that the human mind has an enormous capacity. Unfortunately, a large part of the ten percent is driven by instincts and indulges in sensual and petty activities. The four basic instinctive drives are: ahara (food), nidra (sleep), bhaya (fear) and maithuna (sexuality). These are dominant in our minds for the simple reason of survival. Since survival is not such a big problem in today’s society as it was in ancient times, a sort of vacuum is created. Food is over-available, fear becomes an obstacle in daily life, the world is over-populated and so on. Most people fill this vacuum by amplifying the fulfilment of these desires for sensual pleasure. Brahmacharya deals with filling this vacuum with spirituality.

Many people would say that ahara is the greatest drive, but it is not so. Brahmacharya is being free from the pleasure of fulfilling the instincts of the lower mind, and it is most commonly known as ‘celibacy’ because maithuna is the most powerful instinct. Maithuna is the greatest drive for without it we would have died out as a species long ago.

To most people, following brahmacharya would mean suppression of desires. Brahmacharya should not be suppression, and suppression is not the remedy for overcoming the lower mind or controlling any of its instinctive drives. Unless one is established in the higher mind, suppression is of no avail. One may be able to stop oneself from satisfying any of these instincts, but one cannot suppress the mind from dwelling upon them continually. That is not brahmacharya, being established in the higher mind, and the higher mind does not waste time by dwelling on such matters.

There is a story about two monks on a pilgrimage in (supposedly) strict brahmacharya. When they come across a lady unable to cross a large puddle, the senior monk carries her across to safety. Shocked, the younger monk eventually remonstrates with the senior monk, who replies, “You are still carrying her in your head while I left her by the banks of the puddle!” The younger monk is a perfect example of the opposite of brahmacharya. Swami Satyananda says, “When firmly established in brahmacharya, the yogi gains vigour, energy and courage, whereby he becomes free from the fear of death. Thus, brahmacharya is an important way of overcoming the klesha called abhinivesha, which is fear of death.” And since almost all fears have their roots in death, brahmacharya is a useful tool for overcoming fear in general.

APARIGRAHA – NON-POSSESSIVENESS

Aparigraha, the fifth and last of the yamas, is non-possessiveness (also known as abstinence from greed). It is actually complete freedom from greed or covetousness. You should not try to possess more than you minimally need. As Swami Satyananda Saraswati mentions in Four Chapters on Freedom, “This keeps the mind unoccupied and also he (the aspirant) does not have to worry about anything because there is nothing (no possessions) there to be protected.” When we become non-possessive, or non-attached, we become impartial and in that way the conditioned love, affection, compassion and so on becomes unconditional, and not merely restricted to family, friends, relations, etc.

Gifts from others affect us and make us greedier. One consequence is that we start giving gifts because we expect something in return, which is bad because we get offended if we do not receive anything. A sannyasin should therefore avoid gifts. Greed also leads to attachment, and anxiety accompanies attachment. These are all obstacles to gaining spiritual knowledge. Swami Sivananda says, “ . . . freedom from attachment will result in knowledge of the whole course of our journey.” Also, it will be easy to observe asteya, or abstinence from theft, if we have mastered aparigraha.

The memories and habits of possessing objects must be first washed away from the mind, and only then can you start life anew. The mind also becomes pure by following aparigraha, and it is said that when you observe aparigraha fully, you obtain the siddhi through which you can remember your past lives, if you believe in reincarnation. But you must not carry aparigraha beyond your limits, or it will give rise to vulnerability and possessiveness. In other words, if aparigraha is carried too far, it may have the opposite effect. 

(Swami Om Saraswati (aged 13 years)

NIYAMAS

The Niyamas नियम are positive duties or observances. Niyamas which include virtuous habits, behaviors and observances. These virtues and ethical premises are considered in Hinduism as necessary for an individual to achieve a self-realized, enlightened, liberated state of existence (moksha).

THE FIVE NIYAMAS IN PATANJALI’S YOGA SUTRAS

The Niyamas are the second limb of the eight limbs of Yoga. At Sadhana Pada Verse 32 lists the niyamas as:

• SHAUCHA: purity, clearness of mind, speech and body
• SANTOSHA: contentment, acceptance of others and of one’s circumstances as they are, optimism for self
• TAPAS: austerity, self-discipline, persistent meditation, perseverance
• SVĀDHYĀYA: study of self, self-reflection, introspection of self’s thoughts, speeches and actions
• ĪŚVARAPRAṆIDHĀNA: contemplation of the Īśvara (God / Supreme Being, Brahman, True Self, Unchanging Reality), attunement to the supreme consciousness

THE TEN NIYAMAS IN OTHER VEDIC TEXTS

In the diverse traditions and historical debate within Hinduism, some texts suggest a different and expanded list of niyamas. For example, the Shandilya and Varaha Upanishads, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, in Book 3 of the Tirumandhiram of Tirumular suggest ten niyamas, in the sense of positive duties, desirable behaviors and discipline. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika lists the ten niyamas in the following order, in verse 1.18:

• TAPAS: persistence, perseverance in one’s purpose, austerity
• SANTOṢA: contentment, acceptance of others and of one’s circumstances as they are, optimism for self.
• ĀSTIKYA: faith in Real Self (jnana yoga, raja yoga), belief in God (bhakti yoga), conviction in Vedas/Upanishads (orthodox school)
• DĀNA: generosity, charity, sharing with others
• ĪŚVARAPŪJANA: worship of the Ishvara (God / Supreme Being, Brahman, True Self, Unchanging Reality)
• SIDDHĀNTA VAKYA ŚRĀVAṆA or Siddhānta śrāvaṇa: Listening to the ancient scriptures.
• HRĪ: remorse and acceptance of one’s past, modesty, humility.
• MATI: think and reflect to understand, reconcile conflicting ideas
• JAPA: mantra repetition, reciting prayers or knowledge
• HUTA OR VRATA:
  • Huta: rituals, ceremonies such as yajna sacrifice.
  • Vrata: Fulfilling religious vows, rules and observances faithfully.

ŚAUCA – PURITY

Shaucha, cleanliness, is the first niyama. Not only external cleanliness, like having a shower, brushing your teeth, etc., but purity of actions, purity of mind from evil and distracting, unnecessary thoughts and from bad, haunting memories. Cleanliness of the environment and of oneself is necessary for hygienic reasons, but the state of the environment also affects your mind. If it is clean and tidy, you will become more centred and will be able to concentrate properly, but if it is an unhygienic, messy or untidy environment, your mind may become disorganized. That is why it is better to tidy up your room in the morning. Such things seem trivial, but they help to keep the mind free of clutter and make it sharp and clear.

In other words, practising shaucha on the physical plane also affects the mind on the pranic and mental levels. Sage Patanjali says in the Yoga Sutras that by practising shaucha on the physical plane, one gains indifference towards the body and non-attachment towards others in the course of time. He says that when your mind is pure through shaucha, you become cheerful and fit to practise concentration (dharana) and sense control (pratyahara), as the mirror of the mind is clean and, therefore, you are able to see your real self-reflected in it.

SAṂTOṢA – CONTENTMENT

Santosha, contentment or satisfaction, is the second niyama. Santosha is being content with one’s actions and with what one has, what one is, where one is, and with what one has done or what one is doing. It also means to be content about where one is, whether it be concerning time or space. You should not daydream about the future, nor should your mind linger in the past. Be content with where you are, or you will never be happy or feel true satisfaction. Also, santosha is being content with what one is. If you do not like being what you are, you won’t find any happiness in life either. You have to be contented with what you do, if you have done your best.

Santosha is essential for spiritual life. If you do not practise it, you won’t really get very far on your journey. By putting santosha into practice, you can get rid of cravings and attain great happiness to progress on the spiritual ladder, path, journey, or whatever you want to call it. It is also necessary to practise santosha in order to observe asteya. A beggar is a king if he is contented with what he has, while a king is like a beggar if he still desires more riches to add to his treasure troves and vaults by imposing more taxes on the poor.

If you are dissatisfied, it causes psychic infirmity and many other complexes. In the Yoga Vashishtha, Sage Vashishtha, who was one of Rama’s teachers, says that vichara (reflection), shanti (peacefulness), satsang (being in the company of truth, in any form), and santosha (contentment) are the four sentinels at the gate of moksha (salvation, or being completely freed from the cycle of birth and rebirth). He says that if you have mastered santosha, the other three will let you pass automatically.

TAPASYA
AUSTERITY / SELF-DISCIPLINE

The third niyama is tapasya (or tapas), austerity or moderation – depending upon one’s capacity. The main purpose of attaining tapasya is to be able to meditate properly. It creates a controlled mind which will not accept any interference from the body, like “I’m thirsty!” or “I want food!” or “that hurts!” etc. It also hardens the body, so that these desires aren’t too frequent. It strengthens the organs and makes them healthy in order not to experience painful distractions during meditation. Thus, it leads to pratyahara or abstraction of the senses. In the Bhagavad Gita it is mentioned that there are three types of austerities: (i) austerity of the physical body, (ii) austerity of communication and speech (mouna), and (iii) austerity of the mind. Tapasya includes control over one’s thoughts in order to avoid unnecessary talking.

As a sculptor chip away all the unnecessary bits of rock to make a beautiful sculpture, so the hardships through which the body goes strengthen the mind and chip away all the unnecessary bits, leaving only the true essence of your real self. By practising tapasya, the body becomes immune to extensive heat, cold and even poisons and other hardships.

According to Swami Satyananda Saraswati in Four Chapters on Freedom, there are five types of tapas: (i) exposure to the sun to harden the skin, (ii) exposure to fire to make one’s body slim and brown, (iii) doing pranayama to heat the body, (iv) accumulating the fire of concentration at one point, and (v) the fire of fasting. These are the five fires which remove the toxins to make the body fit for meditation.

Tapasya is not only about making the body fit for meditation. Doing things one does not want to do out of laziness or tamas is another form of tapasya. The same applies to moderating entertainment which only pleases oneself and does no good to others. This form of tapasya helps to control the ego, making one more disciplined.

SVĀDHYĀYA
STUDY OF SELF, SELF-REFLECTION

Swadhyaya is the fourth niyama, which I have defined as study of the self in the introduction. It is usually defined as ‘study of ancient spiritual scriptures’, but one can read the scriptures and not understand or apply a single thing from them in our daily lives. Swa means ‘self’ here; therefore, swadhyaya is actually the study of the self, or self-analysis. One must be the drashta, the witness, the observer. The higher type of knowledge is actual experience, while the lower form is learning directly from books and the even lower form is learning from books but not understanding a thing that one is reading. It is recorded in the Essene Gospel of Peace that Jesus said, “Seek not the law in your scriptures, for the law is life, whereas the scripture is dead.”

Through swadhyaya we can improve ourselves and guide ourselves on the right path to some extent without the help of the guru. If you can see your life and observe it like a book, as in the yogic practice of antar mouna, you can observe swadhyaya, as Swami Niranjanananda has pointed out in Yoga Darshan. One can observe and modify one’s reactions, one can moderate one’s negativity and improve one’s way of perceiving things through observing the self.

From another point of view, chanting the name of God in the form of the Gayatri mantra, the Om mantra, a prayer, etc., or even your own initiation mantra, helps to focus the mind, which helps in swadhyaya. When one chants a mantra from the heart, one does not necessarily need to understand what one is chanting in order to experience spiritual upliftment.

ĪŚVARAPRAṆIDHĀNA
CONTEMPLATION TO OMNIPRESENT

Ishwara pranidhana, or complete self-surrender to God, is the last and one of the hardest niyamas. One gets to a stage on the spiritual journey when the guru steps back and when one cannot proceed without help and one becomes desperate. Such is the human mind that one can develop complete faith in God only when a desperate situation arises, where none but God (by God I mean Ishwara, Allah, Yahweh, or any other) can help, whether you believe in God or not. People understand God in many different ways. Some do not even believe in the concept of God. Yet everyone who seeks spiritual guidance and evolution reaches this stage if they are sincere in their quest. As God is different to many people, we reach this stage through different means and situations. It is the time when one completely let’s go of all ego and surrenders to destiny. Sage Patanjali says in the Yoga Sutras that one can even attain the highest form of samadhi, the final stage before kaivalya, if one can truly and fully surrender to God. Your self-surrender should be free and unconditional.

There is a story about a dedicated monk deep in meditation in his cave. Suddenly there was a freak flood, and the town nearby was filled with gushing water. Some good-natured people paddled laboriously on their little raft to try and save the monk. But when they reached his cave, the monk said, “Do not worry. I am a pious man who has been serving God all his life. God will not desert me now. Never fear, He will come and save me with His own hands.”

A few minutes later a yacht with five men arrived. They attempted to rescue the monk, but received the same reply. Finally, a rescue helicopter arrived and hovered outside the cave, but the monk sent them away.

The water rose, flooded the monk’s abode and he drowned. When he reached heaven he said to God, “I’ve been worshipping you all my life and yet you didn’t come and save me when I needed you the most!” And God replied “Well, I don’t know what you expected. First I sent you a raft, then a yacht, then a first class helicopter, and you only said silly things like ‘God will save me with His own hands.’ The raft, yacht and helicopter were my hands.”

It all seems to be a mental process; however, the physical outcome is that when one surrenders to and realizes Ishwara, one never remains the same because one cannot realize God if one has even the smallest hint of a human ego.

Sage Patanjali supported advaita vedanta, which does not support the principle of God as our loving father living in another world, in heaven. So here Ishwara is not God, but the unchanging, ever-uniform reality, while nashwara is the changing, decaying, creative aspect in the cycle of (our) evolution. God exists, and you can experience that only if you have complete faith in him or her (whichever you prefer), if you reach Ishwara pranidhana. (Swami Om Saraswati (aged 13 years)