Asteya: Non-Stealing

Non-stealing (asteya) extends beyond physical objects to the psychological sphere—taking undeserved credit for example.

Practice: Use objects the right way. Strive for proper time management. Cultivate sense of completeness, self-sufficiency, and let go of cravings.  If we value material goods too much, there is a temptation to hoard (a type of stealing from self and others or covet what does not belong to us.  Let go of that false value.

If we attain what we want through honest means, we have no fear. If we attain what we want through dishonest means, we live with fear.

The Suffering Called Theft 

The third yama is “Asteya” and is translated as non-stealing. While commonly understood as not taking what is not yours, it can also mean not taking more than you need. The latter is the more interesting definition. When we take more of the world’s resources, we are in a way stealing them from someone else. When we take more that we need we can contribute to the suffering of others, thus we are ignoring Ahimsa, the greatest of all teachings of yoga. We fail to practice Asteya when we take credit that is not ours or take more food than we can eat. 

Patanjali does not just teach us about the effects of stealing in the world around us; he also teaches us about the effect stealing has on us, even if we are not caught. While most of us would never knowingly steal from others, we actually steal from ourselves. Perhaps we steal when we rob ourselves of our own potential by neglecting a talent, or by letting a lack of commitment keep us from practicing yoga and other life enhancing activities.

Being present is a practice of Asteya

In a sense, we steal the present from ourselves whenever we make the choice to become angry or fearful, thus living in the past or the future.

In order to steal, one has to be mired in “avidya,” or ignorance about the nature of reality, a term introduced by Patanjali in his Chapter 2. Being stuck in the state of avidya is the opposite of the state of yoga in which one is in a state of connection with all that is. In order to steal, one has to devalue and dehumanize the person who will suffer from the theft. If you live a life in which you are able to devalue and dehumanize others so that you can steal from them, you will suffer. 

Move beyond Avidya (ignorance) thru Asteya

This suffering occurs because one is stuck in avidya. The entire discipline of yoga is about freeing oneself from the fog of avidya in the movement towards self-realization. By practicing asteya, one begins to eliminate the suffering of others by not stealing from them. In the end, the choice not to steal is also for oneself.