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Patañjali's Yogasūtra II.31 | Explained By Viniyoga® Expert Dr Kausthub Desikachar

Yogasūtra II.31 - jāti-deśa-kāla-samaya-anavacchinnāḥ sārva-bhaumāḥ mahā- vratam

When these [social restraints] are not restricted by birth/occupation, space, time or circumstances, this is [acknowledged as] the great vow.

Normally there are some exceptions where these social restraints do not have to be observed. For example, a spy has to lie, she cannot always tell the truth. A fisherman has to catch fish to support his family. In times of war, people may be drafted into the army to fight the enemy. In certain cultures a man is allowed to have more than one wife.

However, the social restraints still apply within these frameworks. For example, the spy musn’t lie to her own king, nor must the warrior fight when there is no war, or hurt helpless civilians. The man who has more than one wife must be honest and open about it to all of his wives.

When the commitment is total and someone is able to observe the Yama-s irrespective of any of these exceptional situations, then it is called the Mahāvratam, the great vow.

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Yogasūtra II.31 - jāti-deśa-kāla-samaya-anavacchinnāḥ sārva-bhaumāḥ mahā- vratam Dr Kaustubha Desikachar



Dr Kausthub Desikachar is the successor and current lineage holder of the classical Viniyoga tradition of T Krishnamacharya & TKV Desikachar. He is an acclaimed yoga teacher, yoga therapist, healer and spiritual adviser. His objectives include the sharing of the authentic teachings of Yoga to the modern era, as well as building bridges between different healing modalities to promote physical, emotional social and spiritual health.

He is the founder of Viniyoga Pte. Ltd. and also the co-founder of Krishnamacharya Healing & Yoga Foundation, India, and founder and president of Europe based, KHYF International.

He is also currently the seniormost trainer of the Viniyoga tradition and offers Viniyoga® Yoga Teacher Training and also Viniyoga® Yoga Therapy Training all over the world. Being focused on quality, rather than quantity, Dr Kausthub Desikachar usually only offers one batch in a location, rather than do multiple ones in the same venue. These training programs are so popular that there is usually a waiting list to sign up and is often attended by students from multiple countries.


Dr Kausthub Desikachar is a champion of women’s empowerment and guides many of his female students to embody their strength. To view his interviews with Viniyoga Women, visit this page here - https://www.viniyoga.com.sg/viniyoga-women

He also offers a Mantra blog, where students can listen to different Mantras from the Vedic Tradition. To benefit from this, visit here - https://www.viniyoga.com.sg/mantra

Dr. Kausthub Desikachar also assists many clients in their healing journey that includes mental health issues. He regularly writes articles on Mental Health issues and these can be found here - https://www.viniyoga.com.sg/mental-health

Being an amazing Yoga Therapist and Spiritual guide, Dr Kausthub Desikachar also offers insightful mentoring through private consultations, which can be taken either face-to-face or online. To book a session with him, kindly visit his private consultations page by clicking here>

Apart from Yoga Teaching, Kausthub is also an avid photographer, inspirational writer and poet. To view, some of his inspirations, visit the website www.kausthubdesikachar.com

To view his other Yoga teaching page, visit here https://www.kausthub.yoga/