of spontaneous right action. This state of behaving
in accordance with natural law is called Kriya Shakti.
Although the Sanskrit words kriyaandkarmaboth mean
“action,” kriya is action that does not generate reaction, as
opposed to karma, which automatically generates propor-
tionate consequences. There are no personal conse-
quences when you are acting from the level of Kriya
Shakti because you do not generate any resistance. People
sometimes describe this state as being “in the flow” or “in
the zone.”
Acting from this level of your soul, you are incapable
of being violent because your whole being is established in
peace. This is the essence of the first Yama, known in
Sanskrit as ahimsa. Your thoughts are nonviolent, your
words are nonviolent, and your actions are nonviolent.
Violence cannot arise because your heart and mind are
filled with love and compassion for the human condi-
tion. Mahatma Gandhi championed the principle of
nonviolence in the independence movement of India
from Britain. He said, “If you express your love in such a
manner that it impresses itself indelibly upon your so-
called enemy, he must return that love... and that
requires far greater courage than delivering of blows.”
The second Yama is truthfulness, or satya. Truthfulness
derives from a state of being in which you are able to dis-
tinguish your observations from your interpretations. You
accept the world as it is, recognizing that reality is a selec-
tive act of attention and interpretation. Recognizing that
truth is different for different people, you commit to life-
supporting choices that are aligned with an expanded
view of self. Patanjali described truth as the integrity of
thought, word, and action. You speak the sweet truth and
The Royal Path to Union 33