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Part 1: Ahimsa Dharma and the Yamas and Niyamas: A Talk by Swami Gajanandji I would like to begin with a bhajan that relates to what I will speak about later. It is “Ahiṃsā Dharma” by Holy Gurujī. I have a personal connection to this bhajan because I asked Holy Gurujī to write it, and he did so at my wish. I think everyone knows what ahiṃsā means—Swāmījī has spoken about it often enough. It means do not hurt, do not kill, do not be cruel; respect each and every living being. The common saying in India is, “Ahiṃsā paramo dharma”—ahimsa is the highest rule. Holy Gurujī expresses the same truth, just turned around: there is no higher rule than ahiṃsā. He sings, “Ahiṃsā dharma, sikhō ī unsā dharma nahīṁ,” which states exactly that. And he says that Mahāprabhujī said it, and all religions, all different teachings, all holy scriptures, and all saints affirm it. Good evening. Dobrý večer. How are you? How was the meal? … Today our Swāmī Gajānandjī is here. Many of you know him; some may not. Those who don’t will know now. Gajānandjī lived many years in India, originally coming from Germany. He has been with us many times. Now he takes care of Yoga in Daily Life in Canada, with the head office in Vancouver, so we welcome him again. This evening is Gajānandjī’s evening, for about forty-five minutes. [Swami Gajanandji speaks:] As Swamījī mentioned, I am now in Canada, and there is quite a difference between life and feeling in India, in the ashram, and in Canada. In India one is in a very spiritual atmosphere but struggles with many, many practical problems of daily life. In a country like Canada—and I think this is true of most Western countries—you are not really in a spiritual atmosphere, yet you are struggling nevertheless. I must say, although I am from Germany and know Western life, I have never experienced it as intensely as I am experiencing it now in Canada. Everything is so quick, incredibly fast and quick-changing. People seem never to settle down; they are already on the go. Practically, people come from other countries and other cities, but they also leave, so even building a stable group is a real task. And everyone is struggling with many different things. Previously I thought stress was a problem, but in Canada I learned something new: stress is a lifestyle. To give a practical example, in June I had a workshop, “Stress Management Through Yoga,” and I nearly had to cancel it because everyone said, “Oh, it’s very good, but I have no time for it.” Due to the economic crisis, which directly or indirectly affects everyone, people are struggling to survive, busy with a double job or many different activities. One seemingly attractive path many consider is, “Why not make my money with yoga?” So now the big yoga centers actually make their main income not from yoga courses but from yoga teacher trainings. Of course, this is not real yoga; it is all westernized, more physical yoga. The market is already oversaturated with a flood of newly certified yoga teachers who now want to earn their money. In the end, no one can earn anything anymore, and the whole field of yoga suffers from this. I do believe that the real, original, spiritual yoga, as Swāmījī and our lineage represent it, will in the end succeed, but it is really not easy. In this way, stress as a lifestyle is even afflicting our own people indirectly. But I must say, there are also many people in Canada and Vancouver who truly try to do good work from the heart, selflessly. For example, there is one organization called Yoga Outreach, based in Vancouver. They arrange opportunities for yoga teachers to serve the community where it is most needed: in houses for women, in prisons, for drug addicts—really among those at the margins of society—to help them through yoga. All this work is humanitarian. No one earns money from it. I spoke with the lady from Yoga Outreach a little, evaluating if we could cooperate, but I think we are not yet at that point. However, I know that other yoga centers, for instance in Australia, are already doing such work. It is truly great, and I think it is good for us to move in this direction, to help where help is needed. I came into touch with this lady from Yoga Outreach through a radio station, Co-op Radio, where I was being interviewed. She was there for the same interview, so we were brought together without knowing each other beforehand. One lady founded a yoga talk show on this co-op radio; there are many different activities, and one of them is a yoga talk show, one hour once a week. It is called the Dṛṣṭi Point. “Dṛṣṭi” is Hindi; it means point or view, so “viewpoint” or “point of view.” She had interviewed me when I first came to Canada, and later she became a disciple of Swamījī. So somehow it feels a little like a Uganda live radio station, but I mention it here clearly because not only are the talks broadcast there in Vancouver, which you cannot receive, but they also have a website. On that website all the interviews are posted as podcasts, so you can listen to them later or download them on your computer. Sarita, whose original name was Farah, is Swamījī’s disciple. She is the founder of this yoga talk show, and she has done, and is still doing, a series of interviews with Swamījī. So aside from our international website, you have another website—drishtipoint.ca—where you can listen to many radio interviews with Swamījī, mostly based on questions from disciples. Now it was Sarita’s idea, not only to do interviews with Swamījī, but also to do an interview series with me. And since Swamījī agreed, what can I say? She had the idea to create a series with me about the Yamas and Niyamas, the ten basic principles of the classical yoga philosophy of Ṛṣi Patañjali. That is why we sang the bhajan “Ahiṃsā Dharma, sikhō ī unsā dharma nahīṁ” just now. Ahiṃsā is the very first principle. So when Swamījī gave me one hour, I thought I would like to speak a little about these principles, these yamas and niyamas. I think everyone knows, or at least should know, that you find them in the Yoga Sūtras of Ṛṣi Patañjali in the second chapter, somewhere in the middle, starting from sūtra 30. It is there that he begins to lay down the eight limbs of Aṣṭāṅga Yoga or Rāja Yoga. So Yama and Niyama are the first two limbs. The word “aṣṭāṅga” is actually very good because “aṅga” means limb, not a step like on a staircase where you step on the first, then the second. It means limbs, like our arms and feet. So which would be first and which second? You need them all together at the same time, actually. We are not very well known and not very much respected, because everyone thinks these are just the beginning. People start straight away with the third limb—āsanas—and then they get stuck there, and that’s it. I am actually very thankful to Sarita that she invited me for this interview series, because it forced me to really go deeply into these principles and think about them, and I found a depth I did not expect. The first limb is the yamas. You could say yamas are what not to do. The second limb, the niyamas, are positive rules—what to do. I will give a short overview to remind you, and then I may speak a little more about two or three of them. The first yama is Ahiṃsā, the subject of our bhajan. It means non-violence: don’t hurt, don’t kill, respect each and every living being. In positive words, it is simply love. Hiṃsā actually means cruelty, so don’t be cruel. It is so basic, so elementary, and when we don’t follow it, we create a great deal of bad karma. I think this is very clear. We all gave a vow to Swāmījī to follow it when we received mantra initiation—to become vegetarian. That is not about health; it is simply about love, respect for life, respect for God’s creation. When someone is a vegetarian for health reasons, I don’t respect him as a real vegetarian, because just one good article in some newspaper and he might change his mind. The second yama is Satya, truthfulness. This is the name of God Himself: Sat Cit Ānanda. So when we are in quest of the truth, we must definitely follow the principle of truthfulness. The third is Asteya—don’t steal. I think you can already hear a resonance with the Ten Commandments of the Bible. Don’t kill, don’t steal—it is said there as well. These are quite universal principles which you find more or less everywhere, simply giving us guidance on how we can avoid creating negative karma. Part 2: The Shortcut of Īśvara Praṇidhāna: Bhakti in the Yoga Sūtras The yoga path is not yet truly about purifying karmas, but at least about stopping the creation of more negative karmas. We have already done so much. The fourth principle of Yama is Brahmacharya, which is mostly translated as celibacy. But we could simply say: don’t waste your energy. Direct your energy in the right direction; this is Brahma. Brahma means God. So think in which direction you guide your energy, you guide your life. Aparigraha means basically not to hoard, not to take more than you actually really need, not to be greedy. Then in the Niyamas we have the principle of Śauca, purity. So, cleanliness, living a clean and pure life on the physical level, but also a struggle for mental purity. And that’s already clear, it’s something higher, it’s not so easy. Basically, every selfish thought is already some kind of impurity, which may result then in some action, which again creates some negative karmas. Santosha means contentment. And Patañjali says this is actually the root for happiness. As a result of santosha, one gains supreme happiness. This is what Patañjali says. And that’s already quite a demanding principle, because in real understanding, when can we be truly content? When we have no desires. Desires that make us active also make us unhappy—desires directed in a worldly direction, of course. If we have this desire to serve, to help, to do Guru Seva, that is not counted here. Then come the last three principles from these ten: tapas, svādhyāya, and Īśvara praṇidhāna. Tapas means self-discipline or to go through some demanding situations. Svādhyāya means self-study, and Īśvara Praṇidhāna means devotion to God. And these last three are actually very interesting when we look through the Yoga Sūtras. They are mentioned together already earlier. Here we are in the middle of the second chapter, where we actually follow all the eight principles of the Aṣṭāṅga Yoga, as the first and second principle. But these three were taken out already and appear right in the beginning of the second chapter, and it’s that these three are the basics of the Kriya Yoga. Now, there is a lot of discussion about what it means. Kriya is basically the same as karma. It means to do, to act. So, therefore, one can understand it as practical yoga, like preparatory practices. And also, that they come actually before the Aṣṭāṅga Yoga is introduced, speaks for this interpretation. But on the other hand, the word Kriya Yoga indicates also some advanced techniques, so definitely these three have a very special importance. And why they are so important, we can find out. There is always, for every one of these ten principles of the yamas and niyamas, one sūtra afterwards where Patañjali says, if you are perfect in this point, then you will achieve that and that aim. For example, for the principle of satya, he said, when someone becomes steadfast in satya, truthfulness, then whatever such a person says will come true. So now let us look at what Patañjali says about these last three principles. Where do they lead us? And I bet you will be surprised when I read now from the Yoga Sūtras. Tapas. Tapas comes from the root tap, which means fire, burning, heat. So fire is the principle of purification. Whatever you put on the fire and it burns, it is purified, and the ashes which remain are absolutely pure and cannot be purified anymore. Therefore, many put it here for the tilaka on the forehead. So Patañjali says, as a result of tapas, self-discipline, impurities are removed, bringing about perfection of the body and the sense organs. And we should not understand the body as a body, as a physical body only, I guess. And the sense organ is not just the ear or the nose, the physical aspect of that. We know in yoga that we have more than one body, the fine body. And I guess it means really the purification of our existence on all these finer levels also. My next one, Svādhyāya. Sva is the self. And Adhyāya means study. So, the self-study. Now, which self? There are two aspects. To study our self and to study our Self. I think this sounds familiar to us, huh? Got the point of what I’m speaking about? What do we have in yoga in daily life? What is our svādhyāya in yoga in daily life? Self-inquiry meditation, that’s it. And what does Swamījī say are the two main questions in self-inquiry meditation? How am I, and who am I? So, I think Patañjali is sitting here beside us, huh? So Swamījī made his yoga system exactly based on the classical principles of Ṛṣi Patañjali. But now, another point is interesting. I read now what is written here about Svādhyāya. As a result of svādhyāya, self-study, one comes in contact with the divine, with the iṣṭadeva. So the word Iṣṭadev comes here in the Yoga Sūtras. What is Iṣṭadev? What is Iṣṭadeva? Swamiji is speaking so often about that. It is my personally chosen God. Swamijī always says, "God has no form, but God can take any form." And to a bhakta, a devotee, he will appear in that form in which the devotee believes. But now the interesting point is, so through svādhyāya, through self-inquiry, we get in touch with the iṣṭadeva, but how? What is now the connection between that? So, svādhyāya for us, self-inquiry meditation means meditation, but what is the essence of meditation? How do we meditate? It’s not just any meditation, but self-inquiry meditation, the real meditation. So, what is now the essence of real meditation? One word. Huh? Mantra, exactly. So, self-inquiry meditation, or svādhyāya in the classical sense of Ṛṣi Patañjali, means meditation with mantra. Next step, what is mantra? The next step. In our bhajans, we usually don’t find the word "mantra," but we find the mantra very often through another word, "nāma." What is a mantra? Sometimes also Rām nām. Nām means name. The name of God. The name of the Divine. The name of God. The Divine name. And this has two aspects again: saguṇa and nirguṇa. The formless and that direct personification, the Iśvaratā. So a real mantra usually has the name of God in these two forms. The formless is Om. Every mantra that Swamījī gives starts with Om. And Swamiji used to say a real mantra cannot be without Oṃ. But the second aspect is the personal God. For us, mostly, Mahāprabhujī is Oṁ Śrī Devpurījī’s name. So the mantra has the power to reveal, actually, the divine to whom we are praying through the mantra. When you repeat a Rāma mantra, not Viṣṇu or Śiva will appear, but Rāma will appear. The mantra has the power, actually, if we do it really, really from the heart and really approach the ajapa-japa state, that we get the darśan of the divine through the Iṣṭadeva. And that is said here in the Yoga Sūtras. But Patañjali says, as a result of svādhyāya, self-study, or we could self-inquire in meditation, practice with a mantra, one comes in contact with the divine, with the Iṣṭadeva, or one might get the darśana of the Iṣṭadeva. And how many bhajans do we have now, especially from Mahāprabhujī, about darśan? This darśan. The last principle is called Īśvara Praṇidhāna. Swamiji is speaking the whole time about prāṇa. A living being is called a prāṇī. It is living because it has prāṇa. That means to surrender my prāṇa, to surrender my life, to completely surrender to God. When we sing our prayer, "Every day I surrender to thee, O Lord, my body, my mind, my everything, I surrender myself. There is no second thought anymore. My whole life is now, really, in the sense of brahmacarya, directed to Brahma, to God." And now comes the very astonishing twist here, and I think many people who study the Yoga Sūtras never think about that. Now I will read what is the result of Īśvara Praṇidhāna. As a result of Īśvara Praṇidhāna, devotion to God, one achieves samādhi, which means self-realization or God-realization. I think now is the time to be confused. Where are we? In which context are we talking? We speak about Aṣṭāṅga Yoga, which has eight levels. And what is the number eight, the highest, the aim? Samādhi. Where are we? On level two. And it says, if you practice this one principle perfectly, then you are already on number eight. So to be very clear, we have here a shortcut. What is Īśvara Praṇidhāna? What does it mean to surrender to God? To surrender to the Master? It means bhakti, devotion. So here Īśvara Praṇidhāna is standing pars pro toto for the whole of Bhakti Yoga. How often Swamījī emphasizes that Ṛṣi Patañjali actually is teaching all the yoga paths. Here we are essentially on Bhakti Yoga. And Patañjali says nothing else: if you are perfect in bhakti, in devotion, and really surrender your whole life practically, that is a shortcut to reach the aim. And I may remember, that might be maybe 20 years ago, or maybe more, when Swāmījī, one single time, I heard him speaking about one Indian game. This game is called Līlā. It’s available, I guess. I have a German version; I guess there might also be an English version available. It’s actually like a children’s game where you throw the dice and then you go up, forward. And on some fields where you come, you will get a ladder; then you can go suddenly up. And on other fields where you go, a snake is biting you, and you have to go down. As a children’s game, it exists, but it’s a spiritual game. Because in the original version, every field has its name and its explanation, its meaning. Why do you go up, and why do you go down? And the aim is self-realization. But there’s one field, when you come on that, you go straight away to the aim. Only one. And what is this one? Bhakti. So here we are. Here we have exactly the same shortcut in Ṛṣi Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras. I just want to make you aware of that. So I don’t want to go more into detail, because the whole thing would be a really big subject and would take several hours. I’m actually giving a workshop in Hamburg in August about that, but in German. Bhakti is something very personal, and therefore I would like to finish my satsaṅg with you in a very personal way, by singing a Bhakti bhajan which I made. O Swamiji, you live within me.