YAMA

 "Yama" in Sanskrit means control. As per Patanjali in his Yoga-Sutras, the five Yamas are the following:

1.     Ahimsa or non-violence

2.     Satya or truth

3.     Asteya or non-stealing

4.     Brahmacharya or dwelling in Brahman

5.    Aparigraha or non-receiving of “gifts”

 

Further, as per Patanjali, the above should be practiced “unbroken” irrespective of the following that one might find oneself in:

1.     “Jati” or caste

2.     “Desa” or country

3.     “Kala” or time

 

In other words, Patanjali recommended that people of every caste and nation should practice the five Yamas, as a pre-requisite to the other limbs of Yoga like Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi.

 

Sam Yogi has discoursed extensively on Brahmacharya in his discourses on the Ashtavakra Gita and the Brahma Sutras. Patanjali propounds in his Yoga Sutras that practice of “Brahmacharya” results in the gain of “Veerya” or “energy.” This includes the energy associated with the conservation of semen (for men) and its sexual equivalent for women. Frequently, “Brahmacharya” is translated as continence or chastity… Swami Vivekananda, a great spiritual master, has cautioned that complete “chastity” of mind is required for one to practice Raja Yoga (as culled from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras), for otherwise it will lead to insanity. However, “chastity” needs to be interpreted properly. Sam Yogi carries out this interpretation properly in the aforementioned discourses.

Prayer Donation

If you learned something new spiritually form this page, please consider making a prayer donation, so that Brahmavid Sam Yogi can include you in his daily prayers. This will spiritually uplift you and benefit you further. Thank you and God Bless!

---