Following Rules: The Key to a Happy Life
Rules may feel restrictive today, but they often protect us from regrets tomorrow. A code of conduct is the quiet guardian of a disciplined and dignified life
The very mention of the word ‘rule’ often creates a sense of restriction. Yet rules are not made to bind us; they are made to protect us. Human nature naturally longs for freedom, and therefore rules can sometimes appear burdensome. But when we understand the purpose behind them, we realise that rules do not take away our freedom. Rather, they safeguard our well-being, security and success.
Traffic rules are perhaps the simplest example. Stopping at a red light, driving within the prescribed speed limit, staying in the designated lane and fastening a seatbelt may initially seem like restrictions. One may even wonder, “Why should I stop at a red light when the road is completely empty?” The answer is simple: rules are not designed according to an individual’s convenience; they are designed for the safety of everyone.
If every driver started changing the rules according to personal convenience, roads would soon become chaotic rather than orderly. A helmet, too, may feel like an unnecessary burden, especially when the destination is only a few minutes away. But a single moment of an accident can make us realise the value of that small inconvenience. A helmet may not shorten the journey, but it can prevent life itself from being shortened.
Similarly, students are required to follow a fixed schedule, study a prescribed syllabus, maintain discipline in the examination hall and refrain from cheating. These rules are not intended to trouble students; they exist to assess their actual knowledge and ability. A student may secure the highest marks through cheating, but marks obtained without knowledge have little real value. If examination rules were removed, an examination would cease to be a fair competition and become a contest of deception.
Imagine a cricket match in which a bowler could deliver the ball from wherever he wished, a batsman could leave the pitch whenever he wanted to run, and a fielder could physically stop another player instead of stopping the ball. The game would descend into chaos within moments.
Cricket is exciting precisely because its freedom exists within a framework of rules. A batsman is free to play an extraordinary range of shots, but only within the boundaries of the game. A bowler has the freedom to use his skill and strategy, but within certain regulations. Similarly, in boxing, a fighter is permitted to use strength and skill, but not to strike an opponent wherever he wishes. Once the rules disappear, sport ceases to be a test of skill and becomes an act of violence. Thus, rules do not destroy freedom; they preserve the very character and purpose of the activity.
Life is no different. Success does not depend on talent alone; it also requires strength to abide by a set of principles. The discipline of time, restraint in speech, moderation in food and lifestyle, courtesy in behaviour and sincerity in fulfilling responsibilities; all these principles bring order to our lives. A life without rules or boundaries may appear free from the outside, but gradually it becomes a victim of disorder from within.
Our ancient shastras and tradition have prescribed appropriate disciplines and boundaries for both renunciants and householders according to their respective responsibilities and stages of life.
For a renunciant, the shastras prescribe a disciplined way of life centred on self-restraint, celibacy, non-possession, service, tapasya and spiritual practice. Mahant Swami Maharaj has cultivated these virtues since his childhood. He recalls how Guru Yogiji Maharaj inspired him to observe fasts and high spiritual discipline. Until the age of eighty, Mahant Swami Maharaj observed seven nirjala (waterless) fasts each month, along with other prescribed observances during Chaturmas. Now, at the age of ninety-three, he continues to follow the spiritual disciplines prescribed by the shastras with the same devotion and steadfastness.
On the other hand, for a householder, there are responsibilities towards family and society, along with guidelines concerning food, conduct, relationships, devotion and spiritual association.
To an external observer, some of these disciplines may appear restrictive or orthodox. But in reality, they function as a protective shield. They protect an individual from impulses that may otherwise lead him away from his higher purpose.
Consider a river. It flows between its banks, and because of those boundaries, its water remains purposeful and beneficial. If the river were to abandon its banks, the same water that nourishes life could become a destructive flood. The banks do not prevent the river from flowing; they give its flow direction.
In the same way, rules and moral boundaries give direction to human freedom. They are not walls of a jail; they are signposts. They are not meant to stop our progress but to prevent us from moving in the wrong direction.
True freedom is not the freedom to do whatever we want. It is the freedom to choose what is right and to have the discipline to live by that choice.
Dr Swami Gyanananddas is a dedicated follower of the Swaminarayan tradition and has earned a PhD from MS University; Views presented are personal.
