Living with Integrity: The Practice of Asteya
- Jun 16, 2024
- 5 min read
Living Honestly in a Material World
People often need to understand all the complexities of stealing, taking something from another person without his knowledge, or taking advantage of another's ignorance or foolishness or richness. The Sanskrit/Hindi term for the principles of Non-Stealing is "Asteya," and it is one of the most crucial aspects of the Dharma, Yogic path, spiritual journey, or Adhyatm. Asteya is one of the principles of Yama as per Maharishi Patanjali's propounded Yoga Sutras or Ashtanga Yoga Path (Marga). Below are the Yama.
Yama (Ethical Restraints)
Ahimsa - Non-violence
Satya - Truthfulness
Asteya - Non-stealing
Brahmacharya - Continence or moderation (often interpreted as celibacy or control over sexual energy)
Aparigraha - Non-possessiveness or non-greed
Generally, in people's understanding:
Taking a picture, image, article, snippet, quote, information, music, voice, book chapters, knowledge, designs, or any other material (intellectual property) and using it with minor modifications and without crediting the source in any way is NOT stealing.
Running money-making schemes off of other people's ignorance or foolishness is NOT stealing. Examples include selling plots on the Moon or Mars, Ponzi schemes, etc.
Misrepresenting facts or information on your websites, marketing material, social media is NOT stealing.
Using one's professional wisdom to unnecessarily strip others of their money is NOT stealing. For example, a doctor is prescribing unnecessary medicines or tests or overcharging because a patient is facing death or a terminal illness. An electrician or plumber charging for faults that do not exist or overcharging labour because someone is in dire need. A Lawyer or Police officer saving the criminal and making money.
A teacher or professor publishing books under their own name by using the efforts and work of others is NOT stealing.
People using other's ideas to make money is NOT stealing.
A boss or manager taking credit for their team member's work is NOT stealing.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation patenting agricultural seeds native to India, Africa, and Amazon Forests in Brazil and selling them back to Indian and African Farmers with high patent charges is NOT stealing.
A person robbing filthy rich people and distributing the wealth to poor people is NOT stealing and, for example, thinking that all Robinhood types of people & ideas are Dharmic.
Excavating artifacts in the name of Archaeological expeditions, selling them in black markets, or taking them to another country's museums is NOT stealing.
In the name of Archaeological & Mountaineering, & Extreme Sports expeditions in other countries, locating that country's natural resources and selling the information to big companies internationally is NOT stealing.
Countries are fighting biological warfare, developing viruses and spreading them in other poor countries and then developing antidotes/vaccines and injecting them into those poor countries in the name of charity is NOT stealing.
Taking Indigenous wisdom from Indigenous elders and doing a profitable business out of it without ever repaying or crediting them in any manner is NOT stealing—for example, Modern Western Shamans, Western Yoga and Yogic Philosophy course sellers, etc.
Not paying someone or paying less for their services, skills, time, energy or product is NOT Stealing.
Unnecessary delaying to pay someone for their services, skills, time, energy or product is NOT stealing.
Receiving (Free-loading) without giving anything is NOT stealing.
Watching YouTube videos or reels on social media, Free-loading of Wisdom, without returning through like, comment, share or donation is NOT stealing.
Doing Free Courses from websites, without giving anything at all, neither volunteering, nor giving any donation is NOT stealing.
Not paying to Teachers, Gurus, Mentors is NOT stealing.
Going to Temple, Gurudwara only for Food or Prasad, without any donation or service is NOT Stealing.
Wasting someone's time with your useless drama, tantrums or manipulation is NOT stealing.
Not taking care of your parents or grand-parents in their old age is NOT stealing.
Taking an Initiation from an Enlightened one and using that Shakti to initiate others without informing the Guru/Enlightened one or using that Shakti to do Black Magic on others is NOT stealing.
Well, we can go on and on and create a list few kilometres long, but you got the idea that in fact all the above are "Stealing" and it's a serious Corruption of Yama for an Atma, the Being that you are.
Taking advantage of or taking money from anyone because they are ignorant, foolish or less knowledgeable today shows the ignorance within you that you believe "An Ignorant, Foolish or Less Knowledgeable will "always" be that way". WRONG!
Everyone will become wiser sooner or later, will wake up sooner or later, and then the first thing they will wonder is how can you cheat them? Such things happen in society through white-collar professionals like Doctors or Lawyers. Then, it hurts one badly, and people often wonder where humanity is going. Or as if human values have gone down the ditch.
Ask yourself, will you steal the wallet of the fellow passenger if he is sleeping on the train or plane during the journey? Understand that physical sleep and sleep due to less consciousness, or less knowledge or more ignorance are one and the same thing.
From Karma's perspective, whatever you have taken from anyone due to their ignorance or foolishness, you will repay with "interest" sooner or later, regardless of the fact that you may or may not have the capacity to pay them in future. If you don't because you already were on the "clever spree, bad karma path" then you will be paying through diseases in your body and you might be selling your Kidney to keep yourself alive.
All the misguided notions of taking or stealing from the Rich or foolish and using it to do Charity are not just foolish, they are futile. If you were truly Dharmic, you would have earned the right way and used your money for charity, even if it benefitted just one person in your lifetime. A thief is a thief, and such charity will not add any good Karma or Punya to your Karmic account. Sooner or later, you will be paying with interest. The importance of Integrity cannot be overstated.
Also, remember that Asteya has to be practiced through "actions, speech & intentions"; all three modes of doing Karma.
The karmic account will be settled, without exception. This is the Universal LAW, a law that does not discriminate. The inevitability of justice is a powerful force that should not be ignored.
Always know that to a mother, a sleeping child is equally lovable to her as her waking, running child. So, to Paramatma, even those foolish & ignorant & dirty rich are lovable. So, when you take advantage of someone's ignorance, foolishness, or filthy richness today, you are actually coming in between the love that Paramatma has for them. So, you will be punished for this intricacy of Karma as well. It's like how when someone hurts your child, they hurt you in a way, too, so the punishment is doubled.
So, it's better you wake up and honestly introspect yourself inside out. See what compromises your Integrity, and fix it before it's too late.
Jai Shivay,
Prakriti
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