Asteya: Don’t Take What Isn’t Yours

The third Yama is Asteya, usually translated as non-stealing.

At first glance, this sounds fairly straightforward.

Don’t pinch other people’s stuff.

Solid advice.

But, as with most yogic teachings, Asteya goes much deeper than that.

It asks us to look at all the subtle ways we take what hasn’t freely been given.

More Than Theft

Most of us are unlikely to stroll into Tesco and walk out with a television tucked under one arm.

But stealing can be much more subtle than that.

We can steal:

• someone’s time,

• someone’s energy,

• someone’s ideas,

• someone’s attention,

• or credit for work we didn’t do.

Interrupting constantly.

Expecting an immediate reply to every message.

Turning up late.

Dominating the conversation.

Borrowing someone’s idea and presenting it as our own.

These are all, in their own way, small acts of theft.

The Root of Stealing

If we’re honest, stealing usually comes from a sense of lack.

A belief that there isn’t enough.

Not enough time.

Not enough money.

Not enough recognition.

Not enough love.

Asteya invites us to question that assumption.

What if there is enough?

What if what is meant for you will arrive in its own time?

What if someone else’s success does not diminish your own?

Maharaji often said:

“God gives everything.”

And elsewhere he reminded us that when you have God, you need nothing.

That is the heart of Asteya.

When we trust that life is fundamentally abundant, there is less need to grasp at what belongs to someone else.

We can relax a little.

Do the work.

Trust life.

And let other people keep their parking spaces, ideas, and emotional bandwidth.

Patañjali’s Promise

Patañjali says in Yoga Sūtra 2.37:

When one is established in non-stealing, all jewels appear.

In other words, when we stop grasping at what belongs to others, life begins to feel more abundant.

Not because we suddenly acquire more stuff.

But because we realise we were already rich.

Asteya and Boundaries

Asteya also asks us to respect other people’s boundaries.

Their time.

Their energy.

Their attention.

Their right to say no.

And, importantly, it asks us to respect our own boundaries too.

When we continually overcommit, say yes when we mean no, or sacrifice our rest to

meet everyone else’s expectations, we are stealing from ourselves.

Asteya in Everyday Life

This practice can be surprisingly simple.

Show up on time.

Give credit where it is due.

Ask before taking.

Listen as much as you speak.

Celebrate other people’s success.

Trust that your worth is not diminished by someone else shining brightly.

Their light does not take away from yours.

A Simple Practice

Over the next 24 hours, notice where grasping shows up.

Where are you reaching for something that hasn’t freely been offered?

Where are you taking more than you need?

Where might you already have enough?

You do not need to renounce all worldly possessions and move to a cave in the

Himalayas.

Just notice.

And practice taking only what is freely given.

राम राम 🙏