Yoga

Getting established in truth and nonviolence is yoga

ahiṁsāpratiṣṭhāyaṁ tatsannidhau vairatyāgaḥ ॥35॥

अहिंसाप्रतिष्ठायां तत्सन्निधौ वैरत्यागः ॥३५॥

As the yogi becomes firmly grounded in non-violence, other people who come near him will naturally lose the feeling of hostility.

-Patañjali Yoga Sutra 2.35

When nonviolence is well established in you, in your presence, people near you, who have aggressive or violent tendencies, calm down. The tendencies get dropped. Someone comes to attack you. As soon as they come near you, because your vibrations are totally nonviolent, they just move away. The contemporary of Buddha was Mahaveera. He is the founder of Jainism, another Indian religion. He emphasizes more on ahiṁsā. It is said that in an area of twenty kilometers around him, people would drop all violence. Even thorns, it is believed, would lie down and not prick anybody.   This is only possible when you are totally established in nonviolence. 

 

Why is it that when we speak to or meet people, they become violent or angry? Why? This is because they have some seeds of violence in them, vibrations of violence in them. That violence draws violence. So, it is very useful to practice ahiṁsā. It also gives rise to tolerance.

Suppose someone comes and nags you. In your mind, you are angry and think, “Oh, God, I am going to hit this person.” You do not really hit that person. You cannot do it. You do not do it. But watch those thoughts which make you feel like hitting somebody. Why is that violence arising in you? What is the source of the violence? As you watch the source of violence, you will see that violence disappears, dissolves, and peace dawns. Yoga brings that inner peace which, in turn, establishes nonviolence. Practice of nonviolence is two-way traffic. Ahiṁsā brings about the union of the mind, peace of mind, and when you are peaceful or calm within, you naturally become nonviolent. 

Then, the second principle is truth.

satyapratiṣthāyaṁ kriyāphalāśrayatvam ॥36॥

सत्यप्रतिष्ठायां क्रियाफलाश्रयत्वम् ॥३६॥

If you are established in truth, you will get success.

-Patañjali Yoga Sutra 2.36

When you become established in truth, your actions become fruitful. Any action you do will become fruitful. People perform actions, but their actions do not bring about results. That is because there is no truth consciousness in them. When there is truth consciousness inside, when you are established in the truth, the fruit of the action will follow the action immediately. It is the quality of the consciousness, of straight-forwardness. A person who is committed to the truth is committed to the presence of the being. For them, success comes easily. Not that he will not encounter failure, but he will win - Satyameva jayate. The slogan, “We trust in God”, is written on the American currency notes. In India it is “Truth alone triumphs”. Truth will win, though it may not appear to be winning.

 

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