''Achourya'' (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

: अचौर्यः,

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: Acauryaḥ ) or ''Asteya'' (

: अस्तेय;

: ''asteya'') is the

term for "non-stealing". It is a

virtue Virtue ( la, virtus) is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior that shows high moral standard ...

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. The practice of ''asteya'' demands that one must not steal, nor have the intent to steal another's property through action, speech and thoughts.KN Tiwari (1998), Classical Indian Ethical Thought, Motilal Banarsidass, , page 87 Asteya is considered one of five major vows of

and

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current ...

. It is also considered one of ten forms of

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

(virtuous self-restraint) in

Indian philosophy Indian philosophy refers to philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. A traditional Hindu classification divides āstika and nāstika schools of philosophy, depending on one of three alternate criteria: whether it believes the Veda ...

.KN Aiyar (1914), Thirty Minor Upanishads, Kessinger Publishing, , Chapter 22, pages 173–176

Etymology

The word "''asteya''" is a compound derived from Sanskrit language, where "''a''" refers to "non-" and "''steya''" refers to "practice of stealing" or "something that can be stolen". Thus, ''asteya'' means "non-stealing". ''(lit.)"not immoral"''

Jainism

, it is one of the five vows that all Śrāvakas and Śrāvikās (householders) as well as

monastics Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic life plays an important role ...

must observe. The five transgressions of this vow as mentioned in the

Jain text Jain literature (Sanskrit: जैन साहित्य) refers to the literature of the Jain religion. It is a vast and ancient literary tradition, which was initially transmitted orally. The oldest surviving material is contained in the ca ...

, ''Tattvārthsūtra'' are: "Prompting another to steal, receiving stolen goods, underbuying in a disordered state, using false weights and measures, and deceiving others with artificial or imitation goods". This is explained in the Jain text,

Sarvārthasiddhi ''Sarvārthasiddhi'' is a famous Jain text authored by '' Ācārya Pujyapada''. It is the oldest extan commentary on ''Ācārya Umaswami's Tattvārthasūtra'' (another famous Jain text). Traditionally though, the oldest commentary on the Tattv� ...

as (translated by S.A. Jain):

Hinduism

Asteya is defined in Hindu scripts as "the abstinence, in one's deeds or words or thoughts, from unauthorized appropriation of things of value from another human being". It is a widely discussed virtue in ethical theories of Hinduism. For example, in the

Yoga Sūtras The ''Yoga Sutras of Patañjali'' is a collection of Sanskrit sutras (aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga – 195 sutras (according to Vyasa, Vyāsa and Krishnamacharya) and 196 sutras (according to others, including BKS Iyengar). ...

(II.30), ''Asteya'' (non-stealing) is listed as the third

Yamas The Yamas ( sa, यम, translit=Yama), and their complement, the Niyamas, represent a series of "right living" or ethical rules within Yoga philosophy. It means "reining in" or "control". These are restraints for proper conduct as given in the ...

or virtue of self-restraint, along with

Ahimsa Ahimsa (, IAST: ''ahiṃsā'', ) is the ancient Indian principle of nonviolence which applies to all living beings. It is a key virtue in most Indian religions: Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.Bajpai, Shiva (2011). The History of India � ...

(nonviolence),

Satya ''Satya'' (Sanskrit: सत्य; IAST: ''satya)'' is a Sanskrit word loosely translated as truth, essence. A. A. Macdonell, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Asian Educational Services, , pp. 330–331 It also refers to a virtue in Indian relig ...

(non-falsehoods, truthfulness),

Brahmacharya ''Brahmacharya'' (; sa, ब्रह्मचर्य ) is a concept within Indian religions that literally means to stay in conduct within one's own Self. In Yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism it generally refers to a lifestyle charac ...

(sexual chastity in one's feelings and actions) and

Aparigraha Non-possession (aparigraha ( sa, अपरिग्रह)) is a philosophy that holds that no one or anything possesses anything. ln Jainism, aparigraha is the virtue of non-possessiveness, non-grasping or non-greediness.Arti Dhand (2002), The d ...

(non-possessiveness, non-craving).The yoga system of Patanjali
James Wood (Translator), Harvard University Press, pages 178–182 Asteya is thus one of the five essential restraints (''yamas'', "the don'ts") in Hinduism, that with five essential practices (''niyamas'', "the dos") are suggested for right, virtuous, enlightened living.

Discussion

Asteya in practice, states Patricia Corner, implies to "not steal", "not cheat" nor unethically manipulate other's property or others for one's own gain. Asteya as virtue demands that not only one "not steal" through one's action, one should not want to encourage cheating through speech or writing, or want to cheat even in one's thinking. Smith states that the virtue of ''asteya'' arises out of the understanding that all misappropriation is an expression of craving and a feeling of lack of

compassion Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is often regarded as being sensitive to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based on n ...

for other beings. To steal or want to steal expresses lack of faith in oneself, one's ability to learn and create property. To steal another's property is also stealing from one's own potential ability to develop. The

Sutra ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aph ...

s reason that misappropriation, conspiring to misappropriate or wanting to misappropriate, at its root reflects the sin of ''lobha'' (bad greed), ''moha'' (material delusion) or ''krodha'' (bad anger).

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

held ''

ahimsa Ahimsa (, IAST: ''ahiṃsā'', ) is the ancient Indian principle of nonviolence which applies to all living beings. It is a key virtue in most Indian religions: Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.Bajpai, Shiva (2011). The History of India � ...

'' as essential to the human right to life and liberty without fear, ''asteya'' as human right to property without fear.Nikam, N. A. (1954)
Gandhi's Philosophy
The Review of Metaphysics, Vol. 7, No. 4, pages 668–678 Asteya follows from Ahimsa, in Gandhi's views, because stealing is a form of violence and injury to another person. Asteya is not merely "theft by action", but it includes "theft by intent" and "theft by manipulation". Persistent exploitation of the weak or poor is a form of "asteya in one's thought".

Related concepts

Dāna Dāna (Devanagari: दान, International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: Dānam) is a Sanskrit and Pali word that connotes the virtue of generosity, charity (practice), charity or giving of alms in Indian philosophies. In Hindui ...

, that is charity to a deserving person without any expectation in return, is a recommended ''

niyama The Niyamas ( sa, नियम, translit=Niyama) are positive duties or observances. In Indian traditions, particularly Yoga, niyamas and their complement, Yamas, are recommended activities and habits for healthy living, spiritual enlightenment ...

'' in Hinduism. The motive behind Dāna is reverse to that of "stealing from others". Dāna is a complementary practice to the

yamas The Yamas ( sa, यम, translit=Yama), and their complement, the Niyamas, represent a series of "right living" or ethical rules within Yoga philosophy. It means "reining in" or "control". These are restraints for proper conduct as given in the ...

(restraint) of ''asteya''.

Difference from Aparigraha

Asteya and

are two of several important virtues in Hinduism and Jainism. They both involve interaction between a person and material world, either as property, fame or ideas; yet Asteya and Aparigraha are different concepts. Asteya is the virtue of non-stealing and not wanting to appropriate, or take by force or deceit or exploitation, by deeds or words or thoughts, what is owned by and belongs to someone else. Aparigraha, in contrast, is the virtue of non-possessiveness and non-clinging to one's own property, non-accepting any gifts or particularly improper gifts offered by others, and of non-avarice, non-craving in the motivation of one's deeds, words and thoughts.C Bell (2011), Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life: A Guide for Everyday Practice,

Rodmell Press Shambhala Publications is an independent publishing company based in Boulder, Colorado. According to the company, it specializes in "books that present creative and conscious ways of transforming the individual, the society, and the planet". Man ...

, , page 74-89 Aparigraha means non-covetousness. Graham is where one stands. Pari is the limit. When one crosses the limit of one’s graha, even by intention it’s covetousness, not a virtue. It’s misappropriation or manipulation. This principle applies not only to physical property, but also to intellectual property. Crossing one’s limit, craving for something or someone rightfully belonging to others even by thoughts or intentions is a sin. “...whosever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” Mathew5:27-28

References

Sources

* {{citation , last=Jain , first=Prof. S.A. , title=Reality (English Translation of Srimat Pujyapadacharya's Sarvarthasiddhi) , date=1992 , orig-year=First edition 1960 , publisher=Jwalamalini Trust , url=https://archive.org/details/Reality_JMT , edition=Second , quote={{PD-notice , ref={{sfnref, S.A. Jain, 1992 Jain philosophical concepts Hindu philosophical concepts Relational ethics Jain ethics Hindu ethics