In plain words
But to hurt living beings knowingly and then say ‘All action for the pleasure of God’ serves no purpose. In the language of Vedānta this conscience was called ‘Cit’. This Cit was called awareness. That is, recognising in full! It is within our own mind. Every human being must make the effort it takes to reach such a state of fullness. So Ahiṃsā is the very first Dharma in man.
What does not change in the three times is Satya
The second is Satya. What is this Satya? Saying what you have seen, saying what you have heard, saying what was said, saying what you did: this alone is not Satya. All this is only truth at the level of the natural world. Truly, to speak from the heart, in a way that satisfies your conscience: that is what counts as Satya. This can be called ‘ṛtam’. It is trikālābādhyam. It does not change in the three times. It never yields to the influence of place, time and circumstance. Try to change it, and it will not change. However you try to hide it, it will not stay hidden. Satya is Satya at its very heart. So: ‘Brahman is Satya, Jñāna, the infinite.’ This Satya is the very form of God. So Satya is the second chief human value.
Asteya means not taking away what belongs to others
The third is asteya. What does asteya mean? Asteya means not taking away what belongs to others! Property may be just some book or pen, or any other thing. Whenever you need something, you must take the permission of its owner and then take it. To take the thing without such permission comes under theft. Or criticising others, behaving so as to cause another pain, also comes under asteya. It comes under theft. What is theft? It is our taking some thing or other. Every thing has its owner. We must enjoy that thing only after getting the owner's consent. This happens a great deal among children. One boy takes another's camera and goes on taking photos.