This comes as a request from a student. Any help would be most appreciated:
My question concerns the Haṭhyogapradīpikā 1.38 which states:
The Siddhas know that as among yamas a moderate diet is the most important, and among niyamas, harmlessness (ahiṁsā),
so among all the āsanas is the siddhāsana.
In 1.16 – of what is presumably an appended part – we are taught that ahiṁsā pertains to the yamas;
so why this obvious inconsistency? Is there any scriptural precedence to this case, where ahiṁsā can be found within the niyamas?
Kenneth Zysk, PhD, DPhil
Head of Indology
Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies
University of Copenhagen
Karen Blixens Vej 4, Bygn. 10,
DK-2300 Copenhagen S Denmark