Role of Restraint in Sadhana

By

Sri Swami Sivananda

This article is a chapter from the book Sadhana.

About one hundred and fifty miles above the Sannyasins’ colony of Rishikesh, in the Himalayan interior there is an outpost, Chamauli by name. Here they have built a sort of dam or barrage across the flow of the mountain Ganga. One fine day something happened there and the water was likely to get out of hand and burst out in an excessive flow. At once wires began to hum. A telegram was given to all the lower regions, warning them of a likely flood in the Ganga and asking them to shift higher up from the Ganga bank.

Now Ganga water is the very life and the soul for the people living by the side of the Ganga bank. But what is this strange phenomenon—people are now fleeting away from its life-giving waters. What is the reason for this? So long as its flow was within the limits, so long as its volume was restrained to a safe margin, it was most beneficial and very desirable. When the self-same natural and legitimate function of the dam (of supplying waters) exceeded, these waters became dangerous and terrible. Thus excess rendered a blessing into a menace. Now consider a similar state of things in the life of man.

The average man is the slave of his senses. Usually his life is one constant whirl amidst the numerous varieties of Vishayas that hem in upon his day-to-day life. His appetites goad him on to do two things, viz., they go out towards certain external pleasing and attractive things and they also desire to draw in certain things inward themselves. Thus man’s slavery to his senses takes these two forms of going out towards certain things and drawing in certain things. At times in the case of certain types of objects both these processes are present combined together, viz., indulgence and consumption. It will not be wrong to say that both these are but the two aspects of the quality of sensuality.

Now sensuality is a broad, general term. It includes all and every variety of indulgence through the avenue of the senses. However it is not all indulgence that is totally unethical, immoral or criminal. Certain forms of indulgence like drunkenness, debauchery, adultery etc., are manifestly immoral and criminal. They are ruthlessly condemned. Some others, though not actually criminal, are yet extremely harmful either physically or mentally or both to the individual and at times to others near him as well. Tobacco chewing, snuffing or smoking, betting, gambling etc., come under this class. Such practices are strictly forbidden and stigmatised in unequivocal terms. Thirdly, there are still others (and it is with this class we are particularly concerned) that are of a natural character and within limits are even tolerated and legalised by convention. Consuming food and drink and indulging in sleep, rest and proper apparel for covering the body—these and the allied routine physical necessities are of this last mentioned category. They are to some extent amoral. There is basically nothing unethical in doing these actions, but when they are overdone they immediately assume the nature of moral issues. They lose their neutral nature and become directly or indirectly (at times directly and indirectly both) immoral. Thus for instance, to sleep is normal to all creatures on earth. Animal and man, sinner and saint alike do it. But then there is a limit within which it is a desirable and beneficial necessity. Too much sleeping makes a man lazy, lethargic, dull and ultimately, useless to both society and himself. To the Sadhaka it is one of the most dangerous habits. To him it is a vice to be eradicated. Habitual oversleep increases Tamas and makes Sadhana nullified and retards his progress.

Take another process—eating. Eating is recognised as an indispensable necessity so long as the physical sheath lasts. The lowest vermin to the highest realised saint, all take food. Overdo it, then indirectly as well as directly it becomes wrong, improper, unethical and positively criminal. It is a wrong and harmful practice from the health and medical point of view; improper from the point of social etiquette which regards gluttony with disfavour and disapproval; it is unethical, for by overfeeding man fattens his lustful propensities and becomes gross and sensual; and it is criminal from the economic point of view, for the wanton overfeeding of a section of people transgresses all canons of distribution and deprives the starving masses of their sorely needed food.

Now it is precisely here that we perceive the vital role of restraint in giving the proper balance, proportion and direction to such functions of variable moral implications. Inasmuch as their classification as moral or otherwise directly depends upon limit and extent of their indulgence or consumption, it is the equality of restraint and self-control in the individual that acts as the regulator that keeps them within the limits of the good, the proper. Thus it is the presence and absence of this element of self-control and restraint that makes the identical action of eating praiseworthy in one and blameworthy in another. It is laudable in the saintly persons of simple and Spartan habits, and culpable in the shameless voracious gourmand. And this is different in the quality of the self-same action in two persons which is due to the factor of restraint.

Why the role of restraint has been dealt with particular reference to this third class of neutral amoral function will be apparent when we consider that the other two categories are matters for eschewment in toto, wherein, strictly speaking, no question of restraint need arise at all. These actions are unnatural, unnecessary and dispensable. They are never to be done. Whereas the third class of inevitable routine items of sensual consumption and indulgence have got to be done, yet not to be overdone. And it is restraint that achieves this. It is restraint that supplies the guarantee and insurance against overindulgence.

This function of restraint in guarding against and countering the urge for overdoing of consumption and indulgence, operates in two forms that of moderation and deliberate selection. Where over-consumption takes the shape of going beyond limits in point of quantity then restraint manifests as the principle of moderation to check it. When the error is in the nature of an indulgence in an injurious and undesirable quality, then restraint operates in the form of a rational sense of sane selection. Thus this latter makes the aspirant to choose Sattvic articles of diet and abstain from Rajasic and Tamasic eatables, even though they may be tastier than the Sattvic diet. Then again it makes the Sadhaka prefer to sleep for half an hour or one hour longer at night time rather than indulge in day-time sleep.

Moderation and selection form a dual-process whose exercise brings about a mutual, favourable reaction upon each other. When the quality of your consumption, the nature of the things taken in through the avenue of the senses, is non-exciting and Sattvic then this establishes a rhythm and harmony in the system. This state of harmony is an immense help in the exercise of restraint; for restraint is dependent on inner strength or Atma-bala. The greater the Sattva in man, so much more is the development of this inner force. Likewise the habitual adherence to the principle of moderation keeps the body and mind light and free of toxins. In such a state of health and purity all faculties are keen and alert, facilitating a great deal the exercise of Viveka and Vichara (discrimination and enquiry) upon which wise selection and restraint depend.

Thus it will be seen that the faculty of and the ability in restraint is the greatest friend of man. It guards against man’s natural sensual propensities, getting the better of him and turning into excess. Restraint plays the important part of keeping the processes of consumption and indulgence within the bounds of their beneficial maximum or safe ceiling-limit. Make full and judicious use of this factor and you will reap a harvest, health, well-being, progress and spiritual attainments.

Restraint makes life worth living. Be restrained and become a Jitendriya-Yogisvara. Restraint makes you real emperor of the three worlds. Restraint leads to Realisation of the Self!

All hail to Restraint the supreme Regulator! All Glory to the quality of restraint which is truly a divine Vibhuti, veritable manifestation of the Lord Himself!