When Sarah Darling dumped her change in the cup of a homeless man, Billy Ray, little did she realize that she also dropped in her diamond ring as well. She did not realize her loss until the next day. But when she went back to Billy Ray he promptly returned the ring back to her.
The five Yamas in the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali are: Ahimsa (non violence), Satya (honesty), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (celibacy), and Aparigrah (non-possessiveness). Billy Ray by his actions has demonstrated that it is possible even for a man hard on his times, to observe the Yamas. Billy Ray demonstrated honesty, non-stealing and non-possessiveness when he returned the ring to its rightful owner.
The results of practicing Yamas and Niyamas is that it builds the foundation on which you can make spiritual progress. It is also true that along with spiritual progress you may also stumble into material success if you live according to the principles laid down by Patanjali as can be seen in Billy’s case. Since the news of Billy Ray’s actions have spread, donations have been pouring in and till last reported the number is now close to $86,000. Even more fascinating is that the news reached his estranged sister who has not seen her brother for more than 20 years. She is now offering him a place to stay.
You may also like: A Different Kind Of Mugging Incident