Community Kīrtan Audio with Michael Johnson

“Of these Ahiṃsā is to abstain from injuring any being, at any time in any manner. Truth and other forms of restraints and observances are based on the spirit of non-injury. They, being the means of fulfillment of non-injury, have been recommended in the Śāstras for establishing Ahiṃsā. They are also the best means of making AhiMsā pure. That is why it has been stated in the Śāstras: “As the Brāhmaṇa advances in the cultivation of the many virtues prescribed for him, he abstains from acts of injury to others due either to misapprehension or ignorance and thus purifies within himself the virtue of non-injury. Satya (truthfulness) is correspondence of speech and mind to fact, i.e. saying and thinking of what has been seen, heard or inferred. Words uttered for the purpose of communicating one’s thoughts to others are true provided they do not appear deceitful, delusive and meaningless to the listeners. The words should, however, be uttered from inflicting harm on creatures but for their benefit; because if they hurt others, they do not produce any piety as truth would, but only sin. By using such apparently truthful words (which hurt others) one gets painful consequences (or infernal region). Therefore, truthful words beneficial to all creatures should be uttered after careful consideration.

Asteya means unlawfully taking things belonging to others. Asteya is abstention from such tendencies even in one’s mind. Brahmacharya=Suppressing the urge of the sexual organ and of the activities of other organs leading to it. Aparigraha means to desist from taking or coveting things, seeing that getting and keeping them involve trouble, that they are subject to decay, that association with them causes mischief and that they beget malice. These constitute Yama or restraint.”