Practice is the combination of Smart Work and Hard Work

What kind of sadhana is it, which does not result in the abatement and reduce or remove the nuisance of all passion? The entire system of the spirituality and all religious tales and rules are designed to convey and teach the lesson of the quieten passion. According to Mahaviraswami, who was also known as Vardhamana was the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of 23rd Tirthankara Parshvanatha, states “eating is the greatest obstacle to self-control; it gives rise to indolence. How can he who is not moderate in eating, ever conquer sloth? How can a person who does not get rid of lethargy, indolence and negligence, ever achieve self-control?”



The practice of self-control begins with fasting. Eat less, it does not advocate for not eating randomly. This is the first and foremost principle of self-control.

The second principle talks related to the physical body. It is necessary and also compulsory for us to exercise, to train it and get control over our body. Start by contemplating upon and practicing good habits and by inhibiting bad habits. Our muscles and nerves are accustomed to function in a particular way and if we do not effect a change, we go on mechanical way as before. We have a longing for sweets on certain occasions, because the tongue is accustomed to a certain taste. The nerves muscles and nerves come to demand something, which they are accustomed to have on a particular occasion.


In the matter of eating, thinking or doing any other work, our sinews habitually starts functioning in a manner we have accustomed them to function. Probably you have seen that, those who live in a lofty building, are the first extremely careful while moving the stairs. Gradually, they become accustomed in walking on the stairs without particularly seeing it. The act is performed sometime mechanically.

To begin with, the novice typists look at each letter before they type it, but with practice of typing for sometimes regularly, their fingers move freely without the necessity of looking at the keyboard. Since fingers have grown accustomed to it, it can be done with consciously looking at the keyboard. Similarly, in any undertaking, our sinews start working in the similar manner, which we are accustomed to function, and the task stands fulfilled without any conscious effort on our part.

When someone practiced meditation today, it give the sinews a taste of meditation and it gets little accustomed to it. However the next day, he/she does no meditation, nor the day after to it. On the fourth day, he sits down to meditate again. Practicing by fits and starts does not help in the cultivation of habit. Do not be remiss. Keep practicing the meditation on a daily basis. Irregular practice is not conducive to the confirmation of the habit of retrospection.

Someone practices forgiveness today and practices showing tolerance, however quarrel and fights the next day. The next day the person forgives again quarrel and fight, this continues sequentially, do you think will it confirm the habit of forgiveness within the person. If we want to cultivate a habit, to do it without any reservation, without any negligence till it is firmly established within our character and sub consciousness. This is second principle of training our body, of accustoming the body to bear pain and discomfort. This state of indifference is to be achieved through the practice of asanas, pranayama, kayotsarha. Then the body is trained so much that it can perform to do any task we command.


 The third principle of self-control is to live in seclusion. It, means not to allow the present moment to continue but to reserve it. There are two orders – the order of nature and the order of sadhana. All our sexual impulses originate from the centre of energy and it is with the help of this centre, men fulfills his sexual desires. It is a centre provided by nature for gratification of sexual urge. By living in seclusion, it can be changed.