“Ahimsā Satyam Asteyam Saucham Indriya-nigrahah, Etam sāmāsikam Dharmam chaturvarnye abravīn Manuh.” (Manu Smriti 10.63) Meaning: Non-violence, truth, abstinence from corruption, purity and sense-control – these are the essence of Dharma (duty) of all four castes, as declared by Maharaj Manu. In the series of “Sanatan Dharma” , we have already discussed in our previous articles about the introduction of Sanatan Dharma , and it’s two basic principles i.e., Ahimsā (Non- violence) and Satyam (Truth) . In this article, the other two basic principle i.e., Asteyam (abstinence from corruption) and Saucham (Purity) will be discussed which are as follows: Asteyam: According to the above-mentioned shloka of Manu Smriti, the third principle of Sanatan Dharma is Asteyam, meaning, abstention from taking others’ property. This isn’t limited to stealing others’ money or things, but expands to acts of fraud or dishonesty in general. For example: 1.1. Accepting or giving bribe 1
A bhajan written and composed by Sri Vinod Bihari Das Babaji Maharaj: [This is a note about Phonetics used to describe the pronunciation of the Hindi words for your reference: ā - pronounced as ‘a’ in far æ - pronounced as ‘a’ in cat ë - pronounced as ‘e’ in bet ī - pronounced as ‘ee’ The video is given at the bottom of the article for further reference.] ह े स्वामिनी कब आओगी , मुझ पर कृपा बरसाओगी , जहाँ देखूँ वहीं वहीं , तुम ही तुम दरसाओगी। Hë Swāminī kab āogi, Mujh par kripā barsāogi, Jāhān dekhu wahīn wahīn, tum hi tum darasāogi. Meaning: O my mistress, when will you come? When will you shower your mercy on me? When will I see only you wherever I look? ये जीवन बिता जा रहा है , तुम बिना कोई न सहारा , कब आओगी मुझे अपनाओगी , दिल की दर्द मिटाओगी। Yë jīvan bītā jā rahā hæ, tum bīna koi nā sahārā. Kab āogi mujhë apanāogi, dil ki dard mitāogi. Meaning: This life is passing by (without you). You are my only hope. W