Birds and beasts lead regulated lives but man, though educated and blessed with great intelligence, does not understand the need for discipline and regulation in life.

 

Discipline is like the spinal chord, and a vital necessity of life. Without discipline, the entire human race can come to grief.

 

Discipline means leading a regulated life, and must be a natural component of one's daily routine, from the time one wakes up to the time when one goes to bed. It cannot be acquired by reading books nor learnt from teachers. Truly speaking, it must come from within.

 

No society is exempt from discipline. It is a must for every individual and for every walk of life. Politics without discipline is no politics, and an organisation that lacks discipline would simply collapse. Indeed, discipline is the principal characteristic of a civilised society.

 

Discipline must be observed not only in speech, sports, and singing, but also in so-called ordinary activities like walking, sitting and laughing. There is a discipline associated with prayer also.

 

The world would be a terrible place to live in if people merrily flout discipline as they wish. People in high positions have a special obligation to observe restraint in speech as well as in their writings.

 

In fact, everyone must exercise such discrimination because words used today tend to have tremendous repercussions in the future. In no case should the perks and privileges of office be misused. Discipline is the best protection for those in authority.

 

The observance of discipline must start from an early age. While sitting, you should sit straight and erect. If the spinal chord is held straight, thoughts would be sharp and pure, and behaviour smart.

 

An erect posture greatly facilitates the upward movement of the vital force (Praana), eventually widening one's Consciousness. It also helps in internal purification. Discipline leads to good thoughts and good actions, which purify the Mind (Chitta).

 

When the body and the Mind are both pure, Buddhi or the intellect also would be in a pure state. Observing discipline in all activities is true Yoga of action, which helps boost your efficiency.

 

Birds and even monkeys have periods of quiet but man is always restless and cannot remain quiet even for one minute. Not only does he talk endlessly, but, much worse, he also mocks at those who observe silence.

 

Silence is Brahman or God. The Divine vibrations that emanate from the depth of silence constitute Brahman. There is therefore much merit and value in observing silence. If you control speech, everything else would automatically be under control.

 

Web source: The Times of India, Pune

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