117. The Art of Restraint

The Brain is an amazing organ for many reasons. One of its attributes is that it doesn’t feel pain as its tissue doesn’t have pain transmitting nociceptors. Neurosurgeons use this attribute to perform surgeries while the patient is awake.

Physical pain and pleasure are the results of the comparison with the brain’s neutral state. Similarly, our feelings of mental agony or ecstasy arise from comparison with this neutral state of the brain. This background will help us to understand when Krishna says, “When the mind, restrained (niruddha) by the practice of yoga, comes to rest and in which he sees the self by the self and is thus self-satisfied” (6.20).

Coming to rest is the key. It is bringing the ever-wavering mind to rest. To achieve it, Krishna suggests restraint which doesn’t mean the suppression of feelings nor their expression. Restraint means that we should not identify ourselves with the process of expression or suppression of anger or any other feeling. It’s witnessing that process through awareness which can be easily attained by analysing past situations we have experienced. This practice helps us see the self as the self in all beings and become self-satisfied.

Once we master this art of restraint, we transcend the polarities of pain and pleasure to reach that neutral point or supreme bliss. In this regard, Krishna says, “When he knows the supreme bliss that is beyond the comprehension of the senses and can only be grasped by the intellect and once established, he never wavers from the reality” (6.21).

This supreme bliss is beyond the senses. In that state, one doesn’t need praise from others or delicious food. It is a state where we witness sensory feelings without identifying with them. Incidentally, all of us experience this joy in moments of unmotivated actions or in meditation. It’s about recognising and reflecting upon them in our daily life.


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