The topic for the Satsang on Sunday, 19th August , 2012 was Ahimsa (Non-Violence)
Following is the speech made by Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra and Smt. Hansaji Yogendra on the topic.
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| Smt. Hansaji and Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra |
"Ahimsa Paramo Dharama is a sentence we must have referred to often.
We know it but it becomes a different thing when we have to practice it. We never
took it for practice. We retaliate and react and that satisfies us. We can keep
trying but someone or other will get better of us. And we’ll fail. Ultimately we’ll
give up and when someone apparently is hurting, not to react becomes
impossible. You see, this whole concept has to come from within us and our
within is full of dirt and cruelty. We don’t think good of others. It may be our neighbour, it may be our
relations and hardly when we see them, we think well of them. One who practices
Ahimsa Paramo Dharama is one who has
that kind of deep feeling – Maintaining goodwill constantly, thinking well of
others, that’s the kind of mind that can speak out Ahimsa Paramo Dharma. But we have not cultivated it, we have to
actually work at it. We have to continuously think well of others, be helpful
whenever we can; and it can seep into us. Though we may not be able to help
others, but internally we’ll wish well.
In yoga, there is something
called Parikarmas. One of them is Maitri, which is a Bhavana (feeling) that has to be cultivated – Feel well for others.
Karuna is another – Trying to be
sympathetic, kind and it can be an internal feeling of empathy. So we have
these kinds of contrary thoughts integrated in our personality right from early
times where we think well of others, we learn it, we practice it. This kind of
feeling we have. We don’t necessarily have to help someone physically. This can
come at a later stage. But this preliminary feeling can start.
Let us carry a smiling face. Let
us speak some pleasant words. Let us put up a pleasant appearance. These things
are not impossible to do.'
"Ahimsa is a very huge thing because it is related to our whole
life. There is some or other Himsa
happening in every moment of our life. Jainism explains Ahimsa in great depth. At night there are more insects coming out
which die when we walk over them. When we breathe, living organisms in the air
also die. When digging in soil, organisms die. These things cannot be stopped
because human life is dependent on other lives. This is bound to happen.
But yoga is talking of Ahimsa at another level. It talks of
self-evolution, self-development. If we can become aware, it can be helpful to
reduce Himsa. Probably we can do our
best to reduce Himsa by not walking outside at night, be aware when walking,
look down and walk instead of talking on the mobile phone or being distracted.
Yoga talks of practicing more at
an internal level than the external. We live life less on the physical level
and more on the mental. When Himsa
comes into the mind, it reflects on our Karma. As the mind, so the action.
There are many causes of Himsa. One of
them is Avidya (Ignorance). We do not
understand whether the other person has understood what we are saying. They have
their own understanding levels and limitations. There is no one exactly like us
in the whole world. So why should we feel hurt if someone does not understand
us or says something that does not suit us? We feel hurt and keep reacting.
So yoga says, accept people as
they are. Stop hurting others, no matter how they behave. Do not label anything
as wrong. Everyone is right in their own way. A child or a grown man will act
according to their own understanding as will a religious minded person or a modern
minded person.
Now if we feel something is
wrong, we are hurting ourselves. That is the main Himsa. Because after getting hurt ourselves, planned and unplanned
and reactive Karmas begin. And we
hurt others in turn. We hurt others because we are not able to uplift
ourselves. If we pull ourselves down all the time, everything in the world will
hurt us. But if we don’t get hurt, we will not care for hurting others and we
will automatically walk on the path of Ahimsa.
In Bhagwad Gita, many Slokas talk on this subject – What happens
in anger, Raga and Dvesa. The result is Himsa. The solution is Sthitapragna i.e. do not let the mind
get disturbed. So we have to change our outlook towards life or Himsa will continue.
A dog barks and bites but we
accept it the way it is. We accept all kinds of animals as they are, then why
not accept fellow human beings as they are?"
Satsang is an open meeting held every Sunday from 9:30 to 10:30 am at The Yoga Institute, Santacruz East, Mumbai. It involves an interesting presentation to the public, made by the students of the Teacher Training Course. Each week, a new presentation of a Yogic concept is made in a simple way through skits and decoration for the general public, followed by a short speech from our Gurus, Dr. Jayadeva and Smt. Hansaji Yogendra.
