There is no possibility of one becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough. He who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practising the yoga system. (Bhagavad-gita 6.16–17)
And by doing so sets the tone for the lifestyle of someone on the path of yoga — the key words are regulation and moderation. When eating, sleeping, recreation and work are involved there will always be some enjoyment available. The spirit of yoga is not one of flagrant sense gratification. It is rather one of self-monitored restraint according to realisation. The analogy of salting food illustrates the point that there must be sufficient material comfort so that you will possess physical strength, enthusiasm and sensual power.
Sense gratification is just like salt; we should not take too much or too little. Saltless food is bland and so we must add some salt for health and in order to make the food palatable. It would be foolishness to therefore think “Salt is very good, let me add the whole salt pot.” Because that would spoil the entire preparation. Conversely, if we taste over-salted food, or read about hardened arteries and conclude that any salt is a bad thing, and that we should consume no salt whatsoever — that could also lead to disaster. The body craves salt because it needs salt, thus the senses also crave and need some gratification, but rather than be dragged by our senses, we can make conscious decisions about how much and what forms of sense gratification we accept into our lives.
In the previous lesson we discussed taking the broader spiritual picture into perspective when making decisions. The question of finding a balance of sense gratification, is a real and decisive practical application of this principle. Whenever I make the choice about the level and type of sense gratification I accept, I can ask: “Is this decision consistent with my real identity as a spiritual being on a journey of self-discovery?” and “Are the long reaching consequences of this decision for the general good of me and my spiritual brothers and sisters?”
Attempting to give up sense gratification completely has often proven counterproductive, because strength of will is not sufficient to maintain such an extraordinary level of renunciation. When those trying to give up “cold turkey” suffer a set-back or relapse they are prone to dive into sense gratification as an extreme reaction to the self denial they have been artificially maintaining.
The key to controlling the senses is spiritual realisation, one of the characteristics of the soul is that it is attracted to enjoyment, thus sense enjoyment must be replaced by another type of enjoyment. When a small child wants to play with something harmful such as a sharp implement, the best way to take the dangerous implement away from the child is to simply offer the child something else to play with, it will have to relinquish the objectionable object to accept the safe one. Forms of sense enjoyment can be accepted that are congruous with the spiritual ideals and truths you have chosen to accept and honour within your life. As a traveller on the path of self-realisation it is very helpful to regulate your daily activities to maintain the consistent level of self-discipline that is right for you.
There are times in our devotional practice when chanting and following the regulative principles is very easy. However, there are also times when these practices become very difficult and seem insurmountable. In fact, it has often been found that in the beginning these practices are easy, but with the passing of time it becomes more difficult to maintain them. What to do?
Chanting only a few rounds and adhering to only one or two regulative principles does not exclude you from being a devotee, as long as Krishna sees that you are trying in His service and keeping the goal in sight, even if it takes you a lifetime to reach it. We are living beings in fallible human bodies. It’s okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from them (rather than become lax as a result of them).
The regulative principles minimise the risk of you becoming a victim of advertising campaigns, marketing psychologists and therapy gurus.
The Lord helps those who help themselves. If you approach the Lord with sincerity and depend upon him, then the Lord Himself will clean your heart from within.