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## The Nature of the Great Vows
**Verse 23-24 of the First Light of Yoga Shastra:**
**Meaning:** Not accepting any object without the permission of its owner is called the vow of non-stealing (Asteya). Wealth is the external life force of humans; by stealing it, their life force is considered to be destroyed.
**Explanation:** Not accepting wealth or any object without the owner's permission or without giving it to them is called the third great vow of Adattadan. For renunciants, it is described as four types: 1. Swami-Adatt, 2. Jiva-Adatt, 3. Tirthankar-Adatt, and 4. Guru-Adatt.
* **Swami-Adatt:** Accepting grass, straw, stones, wood, etc., without the owner's permission or without their permission to take it.
* **Jiva-Adatt:** Accepting something from the owner, but not from the living being itself. For example, giving initiation to a person (living being) without their own consent, even though their parents or guru have given permission.
* **Tirthankar-Adatt:** Accepting food that is contaminated with the prohibited Adhakarma, etc., as forbidden by the Tirthankar.
* **Guru-Adatt:** Accepting an object that is free from Adhakarma, etc., and the owner has given permission, but the guru has not given permission to accept it.
All the vows after non-violence are for the protection of the first vow of non-violence. There is a doubt here: how is violence possible in Adattadan? In response, it is said that wealth is considered the eleventh external life force in social interactions. Due to the strong attachment to wealth, it is considered equal to life. Stealing it or losing it breaks the heart of the living being, causing great harm and even death. Therefore, the scholars have called wealth the external life force. From this perspective, the one who steals wealth is actually killing the owner of that wealth.
Now, regarding the fourth great vow:
**Meaning:** Renunciation of the desire for divine (divine-related) and worldly (lustful) pleasures through mind, speech, and body, as well as the act of causing others to do so and approval, is called Brahmacharya, which is of eighteen types.
**Explanation:** Renunciation of the enjoyment of sexual pleasure through mind, speech, and body, related to the divine body of the gods and the worldly body of humans and animals, as well as the act of causing others to do so and approval, is called Brahmacharya. It is said to be of eighteen types because it is of eighteen types of renunciation of sexual pleasure. Divine-related sexual pleasure is of nine types, as it is of three types (mind, speech, and body) and three types (act, cause, and approval). Similarly, there are nine types of renunciation of worldly sexual pleasure, making a total of eighteen types of Brahmacharya.
Just as the middle vows are explained in terms of mind, speech, and body, as well as act, cause, and approval, so too should the first and last great vows be understood.
Now, regarding the fifth great vow:
**Meaning:** Renunciation of attachment to all things in the world (living and non-living) is the great vow of Aparigraha. Even when there is no object nearby, the mind is constantly agitated by attachment.
**Explanation:** Renunciation of attachment to all things in the world (living and non-living) through mind, speech, and body, as well as act, cause, and approval, is called the great vow of Aparigraha. Simply giving up the object is not called renunciation. True renunciation is the renunciation of attachment, delusion, desire, passion, attachment, or affection towards that object.
There is a doubt here: if the vow of Aparigraha is achieved by renouncing attachment, then why is its characteristic described as the renunciation of attachment? In response, it is said that even in the absence of objects, attachment to substance, space, time, and feeling causes mental unrest and various types of mental fluctuations. A seeker with such an unstable mind cannot experience the peace of tranquility. Even without wealth, the desire for wealth creates impurity in the mind, like the beggar named Dramuk in Rajgriha, and it is the cause of falling into hell.