Verse by verse · Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
YS 2.30
Non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence and non-possessiveness are the restraints.
Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 21 September 2026
Sanskrit, in transliteration
ahiṃsā-satya-asteya-brahmacarya-aparigrahā yamāḥ
Our own plain rendering, checked against the standard published translations.
What the verse says
Five things not to do, listed before any practice of body or breath. They are social: every one of them concerns how you treat what is not yours.
In practice
Brahmacarya is often flattened to celibacy; in context it is the careful use of vital energy, of which sexual conduct is one part.
This verse sits in Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, chapter 2 — read our commentary on the whole chapter.