Spiritual Code and Restraints

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 53

undue praise on others also provides a low type of enjoyment to the patrons, who feel elated by such flattery. Some people also happen to cherish violent games like cockfights, bull-fights etc. Many sensible people happen to shudder, when they learn about the role of gladiators during the Roman times. They however forget that wrestling, boxing and some aspects of football game come close to that Roman practice. Spiritually oriented people would find it hard to understand how anything, that causes mental defilement or physical violence, can be pleasurable. This restraint therefore lays down the avoidance of all violent and low types of entertainment.
The last aspect of this restraint is to maintain deadly or violent weapons. Such maintenance is obviously fraught with dangers. Aside from the possibility of such weapons being wrongly used or of their accidentally hurting someone, their maintenance itself causes violent feelings. The person holding a sword or gun, for instance, tends to use the same with the slightest excuse. We also come across reports that some child out of curiosity triggered a gun and shot someone. Such violence can be easily avoided by not maintaining those weapons, and if their maintenance is necessary under some exceptional circumstances, they should never be kept handy.
Maintaining such weapons also gives rise to the occasions of lending the same to other persons. If those persons happen to use the same for hurting others, we become, legally as well as morally, liable for causing the violence. Inciting others to use violent weapons also comes within this category. These implications of keeping deadly weapons also apply to other equipment capable of causing violence.
It would be seen that all these aspects of violence can be easily avoided without sacrificing our usual comforts. So, the house holders can observe this restraint without any default. Like other restraints, however, the tradition lays down five types of possible transgressions of this restraint, viz. i) sensuous entertainment, ii) crude jokes and laughter, iii) purposeless talking, iv) keeping deadly weapons ready, and v) attachment for the lower types of enjoyment. If one happens to indulge in any of these transgressions advertently or inadvertently, he should earnestly atone for the same.
Chapter 15
SAMAYIK The First Discipline
Na Sämyen Vinä Dhyanam Na Dhyänen Vina Cha Tat Nishkampam Jayate Tasmat, Dvayamanyonyakäranam
Yogshästra
(No meditation without equanimity; No equanimity without meditation;
Both are interdependent; One can gained stability thereby)