Manava Dharmashastra 2.88

2.88

indriyāṇāṃ saṃyame yatnamātiṣṭhedityetāvāñchāstrārthaḥ | pariśiṣṭo'rthavādaḥ, āsandhyopāsanavidheḥ | 'saṃyamaḥ' pratiṣiddheṣu viṣayeṣu pravṛttiparihāro'pratiṣiddheṣvapyatisaktivarjanam | tatra pratiṣiddhaparihārastaireva pratiṣedhaiḥ siddhaḥ | apratiṣiddheṣvapyatisaktiniṣedhārtho'yaṃ ślokasaṅghātaḥ | etadevāha | vicaratāṃ viṣayeṣu svātantryeṇa vastuśaktyā pravartamānānām | apahāriṣu viṣayeṣu-apaharantyākarṣantyātmasātkurvanti pāratantryamāpādayanti puruṣaṃ te apahāriṇo viṣayā manoharā ya ucyante | tatra vicaratāṃ vividhaṃ viśeṣeṇa caratām | yadīndriyāṇi viśeṣeṇa na careyuraparihāriṇo'pi tadā viṣayāḥ kiṃ kuryuḥ | bhavantu vā niraṅkuśānīndriyāṇi, yadi viṣayāḥ pratyākhyāyikāstathā'pi susaṃyamaḥ puruṣeṇātmā | yatastūbhayaṃ sāparādhamato yatna āstheyo, durdamyāni hyetāni | yanteva vājinām | yantā sārathiraśvānāṃ yathā rathayuktānāṃ svabhāvato vicalanaśīlānāṃ saṃyame niyame yatnaṃ karoti, te na tadā'nicchayā unmārgeṇa vahanti, vidheyatāṃ tasya bhajante, evamindriyāṇi vidheyīkarttavyāni |

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
All that the teaching means is that “one should strive to restrain his organs”: the rest of the text is merely descriptive, up to the verse where we have the injunction regarding the Twilight Prayers (101).

‘Restrain’—means the avoiding of addiction to prohibited objects and the avoiding of excessive addiction to even those objects that are permitted. That the prohibited tilings should be avoided we learn from those prohibitions themselves: hence the present verse and the verses that follow should be taken as laying down the avoiding of over-addiction to even such things as are not prohibited.

This is what is meant by the expression—‘roaming a many objects,’—i.e., in course of their natural functioning.

‘Alluring.’—Things that attract, draw to themselves, overpower, the man, are called ‘alluring objects,’ those that captivate the mind. Roaming among these means ‘functioning among them in manifold ways.’ If the organs did not operate among them, what could even the most alluring objects do? Or, even if the organs were devoid of all restraint, if the objects themselves were repellant, it would he a very simple matter for the agent, to restrain himself. As a matter of fact, however, both are at fault (the objects are alluring and the organs are operative among them); hence it becomes necessary to put forth special effort, the organs being hard to control.

‘As the driver restrains the horses.’—‘Driver’ is the charioteer. Just as the charioteer puts forth special effort to coutrol the horses that are naturally restive, and are prone to run wild along the wrong way, and the horses become obedient to him,—in the same way one should curb the organs to his own will.—(88)