ivasma&tama< yaaegasya maUlama< First Edition Copyright © 2004 by Himalayan Academy Yoga’s Forgotten Foundation, Twenty Timeless Keys to Your Divine Destiny is published by Himalayan Academy. All rights are reserved. Th is book may be used to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the spiritual path, but reproduced only with the publisher’s prior written consent. Designed, typeset and edited by the sannyâsin swâmîs of the Saiva Siddhanta Yoga Order, 107 Kalolalele Road, Kapaa, Hawaii, 96746-9304, USA. Published by Himalayan Academy USA • India printed in malaysia by sampoorna printers sdn bhd by arrangement with uma publications Library of Congress Control Number 2003110985 ISBN 0-945497-91-1 Art Descriptions Chapter Art: The art opening each chapter is the work of A. Manivelu. Cover Art: Artist S. Rajam depicts Lord Íiva embracing the restraints and observances with ten pairs of seekers, one yama and one niyama as described in the text. Dakshi∫âmûrti: Opposite the half-title page is a photo of the twelve- foot-tall black granite statue of Lord Íiva as the silent sage, teacher of teachers. The statue is situated at Kauai’s Hindu Monastery at the north perimeter of Iraivan Temple. Half-title page: S. Rajam paints each of the twenty yamas and niyamas being practiced under a giant forest tree. Twenty Timeless Keys To Your Divine Destiny ivasma&tama< yaaegasya maUlama< DyaanaaTa*\ saaEBaagyada: iva\xaita-k[alaaitata-saUktaya: Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami CONTENTS v Contents Vishayasûchî ivaSayasaUcaI Foreword—Upakrama˙ . .vii Author’s Introduction—Granthakâra Bhûmikâ . xi 1. Th e First Restraint, Noninjury . .1 2. Th e Second Restraint, Truthfulness . 5 3. Th e Th ird Restraint, Nonstealing . 11 4. Th e Fourth Restraint, Sexual Purity. 17 5. Th e Fift h Restraint, Patience. 25 6. Th e Sixth Restraint, Steadfastness . .29 7. Th e Seventh Restraint, Compassion . 33 8. Th e Eighth Restraint, Honesty . .37 9. Th e Ninth Restraint, Moderate Diet . .43 10. Th e Tenth Restraint, Purity . 51 11. Th e First Observance, Remorse and Modesty . .57 12. Th e Second Observance, Contentment . .67 13. Th e Th ird Observance, Giving . .73 14. Th e Fourth Observance, Faith . 83 15. Th e Fift h Observance, Worship . .93 16. Th e Sixth Observance, Scriptural Study . 101 17. Th e Seventh Observance, Cognition . .109 18. Th e Eighth Observance, Sacred Vows . 119 19. Th e Ninth Observance, Recitation. 127 20. Th e Tenth Observance, Austerity and Sacrifi ce . 131 Conclusion—Samâpanam . 137 Glossary—Íabda Koßa˙ . 141 Sanskrit Pronunciation—Ucchâra∫am Saμsk®ita. 167 Index—Anukrama∫ikâ . .169 Colophon—Antyavachanam . 181 About the Author . 183 FOREWORD vii Foreword Upakrama˙ opak==[ma: URUDEVA TRAVELED BY AIR OFTEN, AND FROM TIME TO TIME COMMENTED ON HOW PRO FESSIONALLY THE FLIGHT CREW HAD CON DUCTED THEMSELVES. HE WOULD ASK, “HOW oft en do you see a professional team of people misbehave on the job? You’re on a fl ight from San Francisco to Singapore. Do the stewardesses bicker in the aisle? Of course not. People at this level of business have control of their minds and emo- tions. If they didn’t, they would soon be replaced. When they are on the job, at least, they follow a code of conduct spelled out in detail by the corporation.” He would go on to say that it’s not unlike the moral code of any religion, outlining sound ethics for respect and harmony among humans. Th ose seeking to be successful in life strive to fulfi ll a moral code whether “on the job” or off . Does Hinduism and its scriptures on yoga have such a code? Yes: twenty ethical guidelines called yamas and niyamas, “restraints and observances.” Th ese “do’s” and “don’ts” are a common-sense code recorded in the Upanishads, the fi nal section of the 6,000- to 8,000-year-old Vedas, mankind’s oldest body of scripture, and in other holy texts expounding the path of yoga. Th e yamas and niyamas have been preserved through the cen- turies as the foundation, the fi rst and second stages, of the eight-staged practice of yoga. Yet, they are fundamental to all beings, expected aims of everyone in society, and assumed to be fully intact for anyone seeking life’s highest aim in the pursuit called yoga. Sage Patanjali (ca 200 bce), raja yoga’s foremost propounder, told us, “Th ese yamas are not limited by class, country, time (past, present or future) or situation. Hence they are called the universal great vows.” Yogic scholar viii YOGA’S FORGOTTEN FOUNDATION Swami Brahmananda Saraswati revealed the inner science of yama and niyama. Th ey are the means, he said, to control the vitarkas, the cruel mental waves or thoughts, that when acted upon result in injury to others, untruthfulness, hoard- ing, discontent, indolence or selfi shness. He stated, “For each vitarka you have, you can create its opposite through yama and niyama, and make your life successful.” Today’s popular concept of yoga equates it with ha†ha yoga and the practice of the ha†ha yoga âsanas, or postures. Many who practice yoga do so solely for health benefi ts. How- ever, others pursue it in hopes of reaping the spiritual benefi ts it off ers. It is to these spiritual seekers who have higher con- sciousness as the goal of their yoga that this book is directed. Yoga is also known as ash†âˆga yoga because it consists of eight stages: yama, restraint; niyama, observance; âsana, seat or posture; prâ∫âyâma, mastering life force; pratyâhâra, withdrawal; dhara∫â, concentration; dhyâna, meditation; and samâdhi, God Realization. Th ese two vital stages—yama, the restraints; and niyama, the observances—traditionally precede âsana, but they are omitted in most yoga classes today. We can liken these eight limbs to a tall building. Th e yamas are the fi rst part of the foundation, like the cement, and the niyamas are the second part, like the steel. Together they provide the support a skyscraper needs to stand. Åsana, prâ∫âyâma and pratyâhâra are like the lower fl oors, dhâra∫a, dhyâna, the middle ones, and samâdhi is the top fl oor. I remember years ago watching the Transamerica Build- ing in San Francisco being erected. First the construction crew dug down quite a depth with huge equipment. Th en massive steel pilings were driven, inches at a time, hundreds of feet into the earth. Th en thousands of yards of concrete were poured. Th e long lineup of cement trucks created a traf- fi c jam in the well-traffi cked business district. From the con- crete, the steel rose upward as a framework for the rest of the structure. Th is massive foundation was needed to keep this FOREWORD ix famous modern pyramid from toppling in an earthquake. In spiritual life, without a foundation of good character and discipline, success in yoga will not be lasting. Sooner or later, the earthquakes in our personal life, the times of great stress and diffi culty, will bring outbursts of anger or peri- ods of discouragement, causing our higher consciousness to fall back to Earth. To quote from Gurudeva: “It is true that bliss comes from meditation, and it is true that higher con- sciousness is the heritage of all mankind. However, the ten restraints and their corresponding practices are necessary to maintain bliss consciousness.” We are a soul, a divine being, and it is important to refl ect on that Divinity. However, we are living in a physical body, and, therefore, in addition to the soul, we also have an instinctive and intellectual nature. Gurudeva describes this as the three phases of the mind: instinctive, intellectual and superconscious. Making progress on the spiritual path requires learn- ing to control the instinctive mind. Th is is where the yamas come into play. Th ey give us a list of tendencies we need to control. Th e classical depiction of restraint is the charioteer pulling back on the reins of a team of horses to keep them under control. Th e practice of the niyamas develops a more cultured nature that takes joy in scriptural study, devotional practices and helping others. It focuses on expressing our soul nature in our outer actions. Together the yamas and niyamas provide the foundation to support our yoga practice so that attainments in higher consciousness can be sustained. How Gurudeva Created this Book Yoga’s Forgotten Foundation was dictated by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami during twenty-fi ve aft ernoon editing sessions with two of his âchâryas at Kauai’s Beachboy Hotel between February 14 and March 26, 1990. Gurudeva was determined to capture the essence of these ancient guide- lines and bring them forward to the world in answer to the x YOGA’S FORGOTTEN FOUNDATION fallacy that “Hinduism has no code of ethics.” For many decades, he had known only of the fi ve yamas and niyamas that are presented by Sage Patanjali in his Yoga Sûtras and brushed over in nearly all yoga texts as the fi rst and second stages of ash†âˆga yoga. But those ten guidelines were not complete enough to encompass the broad scope of human conduct. In the late sixties, in fact, Gurudeva presented his own unique 36-point code of virtuous, contemplative living, which included planting trees, perfecting an art or craft and leaving beauty where you pass (see Living with Íiva chapter 14, “Life the Great Experience”). So, fi nding that there was indeed an ancient and much more comprehensive set of twenty yamas and niyamas was like unearthing gold. His swamis discovered these in Rishi Tirumular’s Tirumantiram, a 2,200-year-old yogic scripture written in ancient Tamil, which Gurudeva commissioned Dr.