अहिंसासत्यास्तेयब्रह्मचर्यापरिग्रहा यमाः ॥ २.३० ॥ahiṃsāsatyāsteyabrahmacaryāparigrahā yamāḥ || 2.30 ||
The Yamas
ahiṃsā = be nonviolent
satyā = be truthful
asteya = don’t steal
brahmacarya = practice self-restraint; religious observance; chastity; celibacy; to be a follower of “the unchanging reality amidst and beyond the world”
aparigraha = live simply so others may simply live; take no more than you need; want no more than you have; nonmaterialistic, non-grasping; asceticism; poverty; non-possessiveness, non-holding through the senses, non-greed, non-indulgence, non-acquisitiveness, non-hoarding
Source: Wisdom Library: Yoga
Yama (यम, “forbearance”) is a Sanskrit word referring to “respect for others”. It is one of the eight brances of yoga, also known as the eightfold-path (aṣṭānga). Also see the fifth section of the Varāha-upaniṣad.
Yama is of ten kinds:
- ahiṃsā (nonviolence)
- satya (truthfulness)
- asteya (not stealing)
- brahmacarya (celibacy when single, not cheating on one’s partner)
The Great Vows are:
Nonviolence …
bring no harm to yourself or others.
Truthfulness …
be true to your word, and let your word be true.
Integrity …
do not steal; walk your talk.
Moderation …
use wisely the life force within you. Generosity …
give more than you take,
for nothing in the world really belongs to you.
-Alberto Villoldo
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
[«previous (A) next»] — Aparigraha in Mahayana glossary
Source: academia.edu: A Study and Translation of the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā
Aparigraha (अपरिग्रह) refers to “non-grasping”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “What is non-grasping (aparigraha)? It is not grasping permanence or impermanence in form, as well as in feeling, perception, formative factors or consciousness; it is not grasping suffering or happiness in form, as well as in feeling, perception, formative factors or consciousness; it is not grasping the self or selflessness in form, as well as in feeling, perception, formative factors or consciousness; it is not grasping the beautiful or the ugly in from, as well as in [feeling, perception, formative factors or] consciousness; it is not grasping emptiness or non-emptiness in from, as well as in [feeling, perception, formative factors or] consciousness. […]”.
Source: WikiPedia: Hinduism
1) In Hinduism, Brahman is “the unchanging reality amidst and beyond the world”, which “cannot be exactly defined”. It has been described in Sanskrit as Sat-cit-ānanda (being-consciousness-bliss) and as the highest reality. Brahman is conceived as Atman, personal, impersonal or Para Brahman, or in various combinations of these qualities depending on the philosophical school. According to Advaita, a liberated human being (jivanmukta) has realised Brahman as his or her own true self.
etymology: Sanskrit Brahman (an n-stem, nominative bráhmā) from a root bṛh- “to swell, expand, grow, enlarge” is a neutral noun to be distinguished from the masculine brahmán—denoting a person associated with Brahman, and from Brahmā.
The later Vedic religion produced the Upanisads, a series of profound philosophical reflections in which Brahman is now considered to be the one Absolute Reality behind changing appearances. It is the universal substrate from which material things originate and to which they return after their dissolution.
Source: academia.edu: A Study and Translation of the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā
Aparigraha (अपरिग्रह) refers to “non-grasping”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “What is non-grasping (aparigraha)? It is not grasping permanence or impermanence in form, as well as in feeling, perception, formative factors or consciousness; it is not grasping suffering or happiness in form, as well as in feeling, perception, formative factors or consciousness; it is not grasping the self or selflessness in form, as well as in feeling, perception, formative factors or consciousness; it is not grasping the beautiful or the ugly in from, as well as in [feeling, perception, formative factors or] consciousness; it is not grasping emptiness or non-emptiness in from, as well as in [feeling, perception, formative factors or] consciousness. […]”.
Source: archive.org: Trisastisalakapurusacaritra
Aparigraha (अपरिग्रह, “poverty”) refers to one of the five types of Saṃyakcaritra (“right-conduct”), as mentioned in chapter 1.3 [ādīśvara-caritra] of Hemacandra’s 11th century Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritra: an ancient Sanskrit epic poem narrating the history and legends of sixty-three illustrious persons in Jainism.
Accordingly, as mentioned in Ṛṣabha’s sermon:—
“[…] mokṣa is attained by those who practice unceasingly the brilliant triad of knowledge, faith, and conduct. The abandonment of all censurable activities will lead to right-conduct (cāritra), known by its five divisions, the vow of non-injury, etc. Non-injury, truthfulness, honesty, chastity, and poverty, with five supporting clauses each, lead to mokṣa. […] Poverty (aparigraha) is the abandonment of infatuation with all objects, since bewilderment of the mind would result from infatuation even with unreal things”.
Kannada-English dictionary
[«previous (A) next»] — Aparigraha in Kannada glossary
Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus
Aparigraha (ಅಪರಿಗ್ರಹ):—
1) [noun] the condition of not receiving anything from others.
2) [noun] (Jain.) an ascetic vow of leading a destitute life, without accepting anything from others; non-acquisitiveness.
Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)
[«previous (B) next»] — Brahmacarya in Vaishnavism glossary
Source: Pure Bhakti: Bhagavad-gita (4th edition)
Brahmacarya (ब्रह्मचर्य) refers to “literally, ‘spiritual cultivation’; the first āśrama, or stage of life, in the varṇāśrama system; celibate student life”. (cf. Glossary page from Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā).
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
[«previous (B) next»] — Brahmacarya in Shaktism glossary
Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram
Brahmacarya (ब्रह्मचर्य) refers to the “vow of continence” or “practice of bliss” according to the Ambāmatasaṃhitā.—[…] The goddess in the Liṅga is practicing austerity. This is the observance of her own special vow of continence (brahmacarya). Within her Liṅga, that is, the Yoni, she is ever Kumārī—the Virgin. There she resides as the pure bliss of the genderless absolute. As such she is identified with the ‘neuter’ Brahman, the absolute of the Upaniṣads that is neither god nor goddess, simply unqualified bliss. Her continence is thus what the word for it in Sanskrit, i.e. brahmacarya, Kaulas understand to mean, namely, the ‘practice of bliss’. Paradoxically, this ‘continence’ is her inner union with the god.—(cf. Tantrāloka 29.96-100 and Manthānabhairavatantra (Kumārikākhaṇḍa) 3.45-64).
Source: WikiPedia: Hinduism
Brahmacarya (ब्रह्मचर्य) refers to “behavior that leads to Brahman” and is one of the four stages of life in an age-based social system as laid out in the Manu Smrti and later Classical Sanskrit texts in Hinduism. It refers to an educational period of 14–20 years which starts before the age of puberty. During this time the traditional vedic sciences are studied, along with the religious texts contained within the Vedas and Upanishads. This stage of life was characterized by the practice of strict celibacy.
The word brahmacharya stems literally from two components: Brahma, (shortened from brahman), the absolute, eternal, supreme God-head. (As opposed to Brahmā, the deity in the Hindu triad responsible for creation). Charya, which means “to follow”. This is often translated as activity, mode of behaviour, a “virtuous” way of life.
Brahmacarya (ब्रह्मचर्य) refers to a “holy religious life” according to appendix 5 of the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter XIV). The word brahmacarya is of brāhmin origin and designates in a general way the rigorous observation of prescribed rules and, in a more specialized way, the sexual continence imposed on the novice during his studies at the foot of the master. The word has passed into Buddhism with this twofold meaning. It designates the holy life, the religious life, notably in the form of the Arhat, but also chastity.
According to the Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra, “There are beings who follow the ten wholesome courses of action but who have not yet destroyed lust. Thus the sūtra here praises those who practice the conduct of king Brahmā (brahmacarya) by cutting through their sexual desire. It is said that those who practice brahmacarya purely never smell bad (nirāmaya-gandha): the person who is addicted to lust has an ugly malodorous body; thus, to praise those who have cut through lust, it is said that they do not have a bad smell”.
Also, “The gods who have cut through sexual desire are Brahmās, a term applied to all the gods of the form realm (rūpadhātu); this is why the method of cutting through sexual desire is called brahmacarya”.
Source: academia.edu: A Study and Translation of the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā
Brahmacarya (ब्रह्मचर्य) refers to “(practicing) the holy life”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “How then, son of good family, does the Bodhisattva who has attained memory never forget? Son of good family, the Bodhisattva attains memory (dhāraṇī) by purifying his memory. What then is the purification of memory? Son of good family, there are thirty-two purifications of memory. What are the thirty-two? […] (17) great learning without boundaries for the sake of careful consideration (pratisaṃkhyā) according to tradition; (18) practicing the holy life (brahmacarya-vāsa) endlessly; (19) entering and remaining in a solitary place; (20) recollecting the six recollections; […]”
30. Restraint includes abstinence from slaughter, falsehood, theft, incontinence, and avarice.The Rajamartanda commentary by King Bhoja: [English translation of the 11th century commentary by Bhoja called the Rājamārtaṇḍa] [Sanskrit text for commentary available]
“Slaughter” (hiṃsā) is work which requires the destruction of life; it is the root of all evils, and its absence is “non-slaughter,” (ahiṃsā). As slaughter should be avoided at all times, its absence implied by non-slaughter is first mentioned.
“Veracity” (satya) is continuity in mind and speech with fact.
“Theft” (steya) is forcibly taking another’s property; and its absence is “non-theft” (asteya).
“Continence” (brahmacarya) is subjugation of carnality.
“Non-avarice” (aparigraha) is the non-acceptance of objects for the promotion of enjoyment.
These five, non-slaughter, &c., are indicated by the term yama, restraints, and reckoned as accessories to Yoga.
Notes and Extracts
[Notes and comparative extracts from other commentaries on the Yogasūtra]
[These restraints figure prominently in all Hindu systems, and are by no means peculiar to the Yoga. They obtain equal prominence among the Jains and the Buddhists; the latter call them Pāramitās. Using the term restraint, for Yama, I have found it necessary for the sake of English idiom and uniformity of expression to use the roundabout form of abstinence from falsehood, &c., instead of the direct positive terms veracity (satya), &c., which the text employs. They form the ground work without which no religious superstructure is possible.]
He points out a peculiarity of these.
Patanjali's yoga sutras 
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