Valluvar
on Self-Control over the Senses, Speech, and Behavior
Dr.
R. Prabhakaran
Introduction
Self-control is the ability to control one's
emotions and desires and the expression of them in one's behavior. There are two
aspects to self-control. One aspect of self-control is controlling one's
desires through effectively controlling one's mind. The other aspect of self-control
is to show restraint in one's behavior towards others. In both cases,
self-control implies exercising control over the desires and actions through
the mind. As Marcus Aurelius (121 AD – 180 AD), the Roman Emperor, mentions in
his book, Meditations, "You have power over your mind -
not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." In other words,
the only tool
at the disposal of human beings to control their desires, words, and deeds is
their mind.
Valluvar emphasizes the importance
of controlling one's desire for the gratification of the senses. Also, he warns
against hurtful speech and the consequences of careless and vicious speech,
including lies. He praises the virtue of self-control and the benefits of
exercising self-control in words and actions.
Self-control over the senses
One of the major desires of mankind
is the desire for the pleasures experienced by the five senses: sight (vision), hearing (audition), taste
(gustation), smell (olfaction), and touch (somatosensation). In order to live happily and enjoy life, it is necessary that all five
sense organs function properly. However, overindulgence in the sense organs
causes physical and psychological problems. For example, it is a well-known
medical fact that in the case of most people, overeating leads to obesity, high
cholesterol, and cardiovascular diseases. So also, overindulgence in sexual
pleasures may cause damage to the tissues, nerves, and joints. Also, it is
known to weaken the immunity system, cause muscular and nervous pain and
promote infection and inflammation. The danger of reckless and unprotected sex
is very well-known to everyone. In the case of youngsters, it has been observed
that excessive TV watching, playing video games, and listening to music may lead
to behavioral problems and affect their academic performance. It is an
established fact that alcohol, cigarettes, and narcotics cause serious physical
and psychological problems. So, moderation in the enjoyment through the use of
sense organs should be the goal. In order to practice moderation, one should
develop the ability to exercise self-control. Valluvar suggests that by exercising self-control
through the mind, one should control one's desires for the gratification of the
five senses. He says one should do this like the tortoise instinctively
withdrawing its four legs and head when it senses danger.
Like a tortoise
withdrawing its four legs and its head into its shell, those who
control their
five senses in one life will be guarded in their next seven births. (kural – 126)
The above kural echoes the following
similar statement from Bhagavad Gita. “He who can
withdraw his senses completely from the sense objects like a tortoise withdraws
its limbs, his mastery is established.” (Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Stanza 58)
The
mention of "seven births" in the above kural does not really mean
exactly seven births. It simply means several future births. This is akin to
someone saying, "I have a million questions in my mind." to imply
that he has many questions about something. The above kural is based on
Valluvar's belief that the actions in one birth will have consequences in future
births (karma theory). The idea behind kural 126 is that the knowledge and
experience gained by an individual from controlling the senses in one birth
will be helpful to him in future births. It should be noted that Valluvar makes
a similar statement regarding learning. He says that "The learning that a
man acquires in one birth will be helpful to him in seven births to come (kural
398)."
Eastern religions assert that
desires lead to attachments, and attachments result in several reincarnations
(or, as Buddhists prefer to call them, several rebirths). In order to break the
chain of births and deaths and to attain salvation (nirvana or eternal bliss),
one is supposed to control all desires and eventually vanquish all desires and
attachments. The following kural shows that Valluvar is in agreement with the
idea that one should extricate oneself from all attachments in order to reach a
stage of not being born again:
The final release (from births and
deaths) comes to those who have severed
all attachments. Others will
continue to experience more births and deaths. (kural – 349)
It is indeed very difficult to sever all attachments.
It requires enormous willpower and practice. It appears that the idea behind
kural 126 is that those who practice self-control over their senses in one
birth will continue to improve upon their experience in the next several births
and eventually extricate themselves from all attachments.
Exercising self-control in speech
The sense organ tongue is
associated with serving two purposes. One function is to taste, and the other
function is to speak. In kural 126, the tasting ability of the tongue was
addressed. In the following kural, Valluvar discusses the need to control the
tongue from the evils arising from speech.
Even if nothing else can
be controlled, one must control one's tongue; if not,
speech from the
uncontrolled tongue will lead to immense trouble. (kural – 127)
Valluvar considers 1) hurtful and abusive
language, 2) slander, 3) idle talk, and 4) lying as the four evils that pertain
to the speech. A major motivating factor for using harsh
and unkind words could be anger. Therefore, Valluvar warns that people should
avoid getting angry at anyone. He says, "Only evil consequences
arise out of anger. Therefore, forget about getting angry at anyone (kural –
303)." Envy and jealousy are the most likely
causes for indulging in slanderous gossips. It may also be the basic flaw in a
person's character that causes him to indulge in slander and or idle talk.
Valluvar strongly condemns slander. He says, "It is better to die than to
live by lying and slander; for such a death brings with it the fruits of
righteousness (kural – 183)." He is equally critical of those who engage
in idle talk. According to him," Those who engage in the idle talk are
chaff among men (kural -196)." He warns against uttering a lie. In fact,
he says, "Do not utter falsehood about what your conscience knows to be
true; for later, your own conscious will continue to hurt you (kural – 293)."
An angry word, a hurtful
speech, a lie, or an insult uttered by a person offends others, and it remains
in their minds for a long time. Valluvar says, "The
injury caused by a burn heals, but not the scar that is caused by an offending
word (kural – 129)." Valluvar considers all the four kinds of offensive
speech as evil. He is of the opinion that since evil results in evil
consequences, evil should be feared even more than the fire itself (kural 202).
According to him, "Just one hurtful word and its resultant evil is enough
to spoil all the intended good in one's speech (kural – 128)." In view of
the disastrous consequences resulting from mean and malicious speech, Valluvar
warns that it is essential that everyone should exercise self-control to guard
against them.
Self-Control in the deeds
Valluvar condemns evil
deeds as well as evil words. The source of all words (speech) and deeds is the
mind. If the mind is pure, then it will be free from all evil thoughts. This is
precisely why Valluvar says, "Virtue is nothing but cultivating a mind without
blemishes; everything else is an empty show (kural 34." In order to
eliminate the blemishes from the mind, it is necessary to exercise control over
the mind. If one can exercise effective self-control and steer the mind away
from evil thoughts, then there will be no evil words or deeds.
Self-Control and Humility
According to Valluvar, in
addition to practicing self-control over one's words and deeds, one should also
proactively exercise self-control and practice humility. He says it is particularly
more important for the rich to behave with humility. By virtue of being rich
and being powerful, some are likely to look down upon others and behave
arrogantly without a trace of humility. He says that humility is an added
possession for the wealthy.
Humility is a
precious quality in all people. But, it is a priceless possession
for the
wealthy. (kural – 125)
The same idea was expressed by Saadi of
Shiraz (1213 AD– 1291 AD), who was a prominent Persian poet and literary
scholar during the 13th century. One of his aphorisms is as follows: The
beloved of the Almighty are the rich who have the humility of the poor.
Benefits of self-control
Self-control helps an
individual to curb his desires for sensual gratification. He who exercises self-control
will also avoid offending others through his speech. Furthermore, self-control
also helps an individual to restrain his anger and causing physical and mental
harm to others. The persistent practice of self-control in one's words and
deeds will help one to gain the respect of others. In fact, Valluvar says, "If one exercises self-control with knowledge and intent,
one will gain the esteem of others (kural – 123)."
One who consistently practices self-control will also learn to become
humble. Valluvar admires a man who excels in self-control by saying, "The grandeur of a man who consistently exercises self-control
is more imposing than a lofty mountain (kural – 124)."
He adds, "Self-control places one among the gods; lack of it will
lead to utter darkness (kural – 121)." A man of limited learning may be
humble in the midst of well-learned people. Sometimes, some people who are
known for their knowledge may not be very humble. If one is well-learned and
still exercises self-control to control his anger, he will benefit from his own
virtuous qualities. Valluvar personifies virtue as an anthropomorphic entity
and says, "Virtue waits for the right time to help a man of knowledge, who
exercises self-control and controls his anger. (kural – 130). "Dr.
S. M. Diaz comments that the idea expressed by Valluvar in kural 130 is very similar to the statement, "The
spirit of God is delighted to dwell in the hearts of the humble." made by
Desiderius Erasmus Rotterdamus (1466 AD -1536 AD) (also known as Erasmus of Rotterdam) who was a Dutch renaissance
humanist, Catholic priest, teacher, and a theologian.
Conclusion
Exercising self-control
in one's speech and deeds and acting with humility towards others is indeed a
very laudable quality that results in many benefits. Because of this, Valluvar
considers self-control a valuable treasure worth cherishing.
Guard your
self-control as a precious treasure, for there is no greater
wealth in
life than that. (kural – 122)
