Self-Control is the first pre-requisite of Spiritual Training or Sadhana. The Dhammapada has said that self-control is an absolute necessity for making progress on the spiritual path. Gautam Buddha had insisted that one should develop the capacity to conquer ones own self. Buddha had said, "The self is the lord of self, who else could be the lord? By self-control a man finds a lord who is difficult to find". Just as Lord Buddha had said about conquering the self so was said in the Bhagavad Gita. According to Gita an individual is able to climb the esoteric heights only by conquering the self gradually. The Lord had said that self-control is not limited to the five sense organs but it also means the control of the mind. As long as the mind is not under control all other efforts prove fruitless. He held the opinion that a well directed mind can bring about a lot of goodness.
In this section of Dhammapada it has been said that an evil-minded man who follows the false doctrines and criticizes the precepts of the Saintly, of the Righteous gradually moves towards self destruction. Pleasures destroy the foolish because he does not seek the other shore. By his craving for pleasures, the foolish destroys himself. It has been declared in the section dealing with self-control that the self is the lord of self and by way of self-control a man finds a lord who is difficult to find. It is indeed a necessity to control the mind unless one controls the mind it is not possible to attain Nirvana or salvation. In fact, the conquest of the self is a far greater conquest than victory in a battlefield. A man who practices self-control can be called a disciplined man. It has been claimed in this part of Dhammapada that it is the duty of every wise man to control his unsteady, flickering mind. It is necessary to control the mind because only a controlled mind brings in happiness. Moreover it is only a controlled mind that can prevent the passions from interfering into the lives of people.
According to this section of Dhammapada the wisdom of the man will never be perfect, whose mind is not steadfast, who does not know the true Dhamma (Law) and whose serenity of mind wavers. There is no fear for the man, whose mind is faultless, who is un-agitated, who has discarded both good and evil and who is ever vigilant. It has been mentioned here that it is absolutely necessary for an individual to realise that this body has transitory existence. At the same time it is necessary to conquer the mind with the help of wisdom that has been acquired. In turn an individual who has conquered his mind is free from all kinds of attachment.
In fact, the conclusion of this particular section of Dhammapada has said that an evil mind brings about more harm than a malevolent enemy, similarly a well-directed mind does the greatest good possible to individuals.
