जातिदेशकालसमयानवच्छिन्नाः सार्वभौमा महाव्रतम्॥३१॥
jaati=class, caste, occupation; desha=place, country of origin; kaala=time; samaya=circumstance; anavachChinnaaH=unconditioned, unlimited by; saarvabhoumaa=universal; mahaavratam=great vow
Sw. Satchidananda
"These great vows are universal, not limited by class, place, time or circumstance"
For full-time, dedicated yogis, these vows (of yamas) are not be broken under any circumstance limited by time, place, purpose, social or caste rules, winter, summer, morning, evening etc. For yogis not committed to their yogic goals, these vows can be modified according to their position in life.
Bryant
In this sutra Patanjali emphasizes that the five yamas are absolute, non-negotiable and universal for yogis and cannot be exempted under any circumstance such as class, place, time, or circumstance.
These yamas are more or less universal among many of the spiritual traditions in India. Even in the eight-fold path of Buddhism, four of the five yamas – ahimsa, satya, brahmacharya and asteya, that are listed under the five silas, are identical with the first four yamas. In jainism the same five yamas are listed and are also called ‘mahavrata’ (great vows). The Bhagavad Gita also mentions these in various chapters.
Vyasa, in his commentary, gives examples where one may find exceptions to these yamas. As for jati (caste), a fisherman due to his occupation needs to inflict violence only on fish but nowhere else. Kshatriyas, the warrior class, for example, are allowed violence for hunting and during war. As per Patanjali, if a Kshatriya wishes to be a yogi, he must abandon violence altogether even though it may be condoned based on some sacred scriptures.
In the Karma-yoga section of Bhagavad Gita, Krishna exhorts Arjuna to do his duty as a Kshatriya and engage in violent warfare. This may be acceptable in a socio-civic context, but must be renounced in an ascetic path of yoga. It may be argued that once avidya (ignorance) has been removed, one can act from a position of enlightenment and may engage in violence in certain circumstances (war, for example); however, Patanjali makes it clear that no such exception can be made for one on the path to enlightenment.
Vyasa gives other examples of conditioned nonviolence:
- Place (jati): a person may decide to abstain from killing in a sacred place (temple) but not otherwise
- Time (kala): one may not kill during a certain time of religious observance (for example, during Lent for Christians)
- Circumstance (samaya): Killing during religious rites like the vedic rituals where animals were sacrificed. Similarly soldiers may kill on a battlefield but nowhere else.
Patanjali would like to make it clear that even though one’s dharma may dictate violating one or more of these yamas, for a yogi they must be treated as great vows, never to be violated.
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