Aparigraha

Definition

Aparigraha is the practice of not accumulating more than necessary and letting go of attachment to possessions. As the fifth and final yama, it closes the cycle of ethical restraints with an invitation to the inner freedom that arises from not depending on the external.

Etymology

The term is composed of a- (negative prefix) + pari- (from all sides) + graha (to grasp, to accumulate). It literally means “not grasping from all sides” or “non-hoarding.” Graha shares a root with words denoting clinging, capturing, or possessing.

Context in the Yoga Sutras

Patañjali presents aparigraha in Sutra II.30. Sutra II.39 reveals its extraordinary fruit: aparigraha-sthairye janma-kathaṃtā-saṃbodhaḥ — “When aparigraha is firmly established, knowledge of the how and why of births arises.” Commentators interpret this as access to memory of past lives or, more deeply, as understanding of the mechanism of karma and reincarnation.

This fruit suggests that material attachment is what binds us to the cycle of existences. By letting go, the nature of the bond itself is revealed.

Practical Application

With material objects:

• Periodically review possessions and let go of what is not used
• Before acquiring something new, ask: do I really need it?
• Recognize when accumulation is emotional compensation
• Practice contentment with what is enough

With relationships:

• Do not treat people as possessions
• Let go of the need to control others
• Accept that relationships change and end
• Give without expecting return

With ideas and achievements:

• Do not cling to opinions as if they were identity
• Let go of the need to be right
• Share knowledge without withholding it
• Let go of past successes as definition of self

With time: Danilo Hernández observes that aparigraha includes letting go of the past and not clinging to the future. We accumulate memories and expectations in the same way we accumulate objects.

Relationship with Yoga Practice

In āsanas, aparigraha is letting go of the need to “own” postures. It is not about collecting physical achievements or identifying with the level of practice attained. Each day the body is different; clinging to what we could do yesterday generates suffering.

The Bihar School of Yoga teaches that even meditative experiences must be released. Seeking to repeat a previously experienced state of peace or clarity is a subtle form of violated aparigraha. Genuine meditation happens without grasping.

At a deeper level, aparigraha prepares for the ultimate detachment: letting go of identification with the body, the mind, and personal history. The Yoga Sutras present detachment (vairāgya) as one of the two pillars of practice; aparigraha is its daily ethical application.