Limit

Limit means for any banker it is credit limit fixed by them to their borrower customer. It is the greatest or least amount, number, or extent allowed or possible in an account to withdraw. Credit proposals are processed or appraised and limits are arrived at depending upon the repaying capacity, capital employed, and security offered, guarantee offered, future prospects for industry or business, past dealings or credit report, etc and credit decisions are taken and credit limits are sanctioned or fixed by respective sanctioning authorities. Who is the sanctioning authority? Powers are delegated depending upon the quantum of finance, and risk involved. Various powers are vested at various levels. The powers are vested go on increasing from a manager of a small branch to Chairman and Managing director of a bank. Board of directors has the highest powers. The golden rule is everybody should be within their limits. Customers should not be allowed to exceed their limits.

So too in life there is limit everywhere. While talking also we should not exceed our limits. We should be very careful. We should pick and choose words. There is a proverb in Kannada which means that if you utter a word it is over, it tantamount to splitting of a pearl. The pearl is of no use once it splits, so too the word uttered. It is beyond our control. Even humor has a limit. It should not cross certain limit. If it exceeds that limit, instead of good, it does harm. Limit means sometimes prescribed norms, rules etc as in the case of our body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, heart beat. In every field there is limit. Limit is the point, edge, or line beyond which something cannot or may not proceed. Limit refers principally to the establishment of a maximum beyond which a person or thing cannot or may not go: For example, the Constitution limits the President's term of office to four years in America. Similarly laws limit or restrict use and sale of alcoholic beverages; cigarettes etc to minors and limit gambling to maximum possible extent. Wherever limits are exceeded, there is always danger. Speed has limit. Whenever speed limits are exceeded accidents are common. Speeding driver always rides the death. Even patience has limit. One’s patience should never be tested. It is just like a string. String can be pulled to certain extent only, there afterwards it loses its tension, gives in and becomes two. We should not go to that extent. Even friendship has limits. One should not cross the limits. It is said too much of familiarity always breeds contempt. It is also said that too much is always too bad. Even if we eat too much, we suffer from indigestion. One should not exceed limits.

When who, and how limits are controlled, what happens if limits are exceeded are some of the questions that confront us. Laws of land controls or limits offences, crimes etc. Any transgression of laws of land is offence. Every country has its own jurisdiction. Laws of land are operative only within that jurisdiction. Laws are not uniform through out the world. Every country has limits or boundaries. A country cannot transgress its limits. A country is bound by universal laws. Thus everybody is chained by limits. Everybody has limitations. Even a house has boundaries or limits. If we enter into others limits unauthorized and occupy it, it may tantamount to encroachment or offence. Similarly, a village, a town, a city all has limits. That is why fencing, compound etc demark the boundaries and confine us to our limits. There is a governing body within every territorial limits and law and order enforcing machinery too exists. If there are no systems and controls, it would not have been possible to limit human activities. There would have been chaos. Everywhere rules and regulations are there to control. There are no institutions where there are no rules and regulations, by laws etc. Everyone is bound by them.

More than anybody else it is He who controls the universe. God cuts everybody to size, when he or she crosses the limits. He takes appropriate timely steps. God is a super policeman. There are people with various kind of behavior in this world. We too should control or limit our behavior. It is our bounden duty. One should not behave according to one’s own whims and fancies. We should behave properly and decently and see that others also behave well. One that approaches or exceeds certain limits, as of credibility, forbearance, or acceptability: He is the limit of irresponsibility. One should respect law and order. We should never exceed limits in case of behavior or any other matter. Our behavior should never be odd or eccentric. Of course one does not know what his or her shortcomings are. Sometimes without our knowledge in fit of anger or heat of argument we lose our cool or temper, we exceed our limits and result is always bad. We may have to repent for the same afterwards. This is true in case of all human beings. Of course some people do not have control over or restraint over their behavior especially over their tongue. Their nature is such. They have to pay heavy price for exceeding limit of human behavior. At the same time, if we are not articulate, we too have to suffer along with them for no fault of us.

Parents, teachers, elders, must teach, mend children and keep them within all the limits of decent behavior because that is possible when they are young only. There is a proverb in this respect in Kannada which means that when we are unable to bend a plant is it possible for us to bend it when it is a tree? We should not either too mild or too serious. We should not be either too rigid, or too lenient. If we are too mild, everybody would boss over us. If we are lenient, everybody would sit on our head. If we are rigid and serious, things would not move. Everywhere balance should be maintained. That is everywhere we should be within the limits. That is art of living. We become addict if exceed our limits in case of any habit. Whether it is smoking drinking or any other habit whatever it may be. World is full of good and bad people. There are people who do one or harm or other to society day in and day out. There is limit to their sins. When the pot of their sin is full, law takes its own course to punish them. In mythologies, we come across, various instances in this regard. When Ravana exceeded limits Rama came to birth. Similarly when Kamsa exceeded limits Devaki gave birth to Krishna. All the wicked get killed and evil perishes. Why once it was said that sun never sets in British Empire. British colonial rule has ended. Sometimes, end is the limit.

Our expectations should be always within limits. We should not expect too much from anybody even from our children. Children should not expect even too much from their parents too. Our thoughts should always be limited. We should not build castles in the air. We should always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst too. Our memory has also limits. We cannot remember everything .We can remember to certain extent only. Some may have more memory power and some have less. That is the difference. We must know our limitations. Our purse too has limitations. If we have more money and fewer dependents, we can spend more. We have to cut the cloth according to its size. Our income and expenditure have separate limits. We cannot expend more than our income. Even love or affection has limits. Too much of love or affection spoils the kid. In majority of cases there are maximum and minimum limits. However in some cases there is maximum limit and in some cases minimum limit are there only. We cannot eat something which is too hot or which is too cold. We cannot eat something which is too old or rotten. We cannot eat something which is too hard and bitter. Some are vegetarians and some are non vegetarians. These are some of limitations as far as our eating is concerned. Admission to cinema theatres is limited to their capacity. The moment all tickets are sold out, the House full board is displayed. School admissions are limited to capacity of classrooms and number of teaching staff available etc. According to profitability of institutions vacancies are declared, the moment vacancies are filled, no vacancy board is displayed. So every where, we find limit. If there are more people in a room than the capacity permits, if there is no proper ventilation, there is no oxygen, something untoward may happen. This is the danger of exceeding limit. As result, loss of life may occur.

We can do everything for others but there is also a limit for that too. In this regard we have to remember that “we can take a horse to river but we cannot make it drink”.How long one can shout? How long you can scold anybody? How long you can sing? There is a limit to everything. As soon as, he or she gets tired, as soon as breath exhausts, and voice chokes up he or she calms down. How long one can listen? There is a limit to it too. Only till one’s patience dies down .Even forbearance has a limit. How long one can bear injustice, difficulties, nuisance etc? Definitely there is a limit for the same. Of course there is a proverb that means only one that can bear more can last long. We should be confident. We should not lack confidence. That does not mean that we can be overconfident. We should be neither overconfident nor less confident. We should be on the border. We should be within the limit. Similarly, we can remind anybody once twice or thrice. There is limit to it. We can wake anybody who is asleep but not one who is pretending to be sleepy. Fashion has a limit. Fashion should not exceed decency. Moral has also a limit. If one exceeds limits of moral, he or she has no respect in society. One is bound by the limit and cannot be too frank even. One can be adventurous but there is limit for it too. If one is too adventurous he or she may lose his or her limb and sometimes life even. Even for laziness there is limit. It is regarded as a curse .Kumbhakarna got killed on account of his laziness only.

Human capacity is limited. All do not have same capacity. An ordinary man can work for six to 8 hours a day tirelessly only, whereas a man with a stronger physique and health can work for more time. It depends on an individual. All are not endowed with same intelligence too. Some are more intelligent and some are less intelligent. Everybody has strengths and weaknesses. That is human limits.

Whether there is limit for discipline? Discipline has no limit. It cannot be imposed. It should be self imposed. Nowhere in the world indiscipline is encouraged or it is tolerated. Strict rules and regulations are laid down to enforce discipline to curb indiscipline. In other words there is limit to indiscipline.

There is no end to learning limit is sky. Similarly knowledge is said to be an ocean. Knowledge has no bounds. But knowledge of an individual is limited. Imagination has no bounds at all but not everybody’s .Resources is scarce and limited. Opportunities too are limited. Fortune is scarce. Lady fortune smiles only on a few. A family is a limit. We are bound by limits in a family. If we study life, we come to know more and more of limits and bounds. Even Praising has a limit. In this connection, we better remember Sarvajna‘s caution in one of his sayings where he compares praise to golden dragger. Sarvajna is a great poet, philosopher of Karnataka. Similarly, boasting has a limit. It is said in this connection that barking dog never bites. Successful man or woman is one who is always within his or her limits. Everything has a limit. There is no limit to limit at all. There is limit within limit. There is limit above limit. Study of limit is a science. If one is fearful, there is a limit; even if one is fearless then also there is a limit for it. If blood sugar is high, there is a limit for it. If it is low then also there is a limit for it. We come across numerous such extremes in life. It is like between a devil and a deep sea. We should understand those limits, adjust and live within them. That is life.

When somebody crosses all the limits society cannot bear him or her. Except a few who are of same feather, generally nobody encourage or support such a person. Such a person is a nuisance to the society. Society tries to get rid of such a person. In other words tries to eliminate him. That does not necessarily mean that they kill or finish that particular person once for all. There may be social boycott. Everybody will keep them at arms length. They are considered as dangerous. On the other hand, the person who crosses all the limits will also not be calm. He or she will be restless and frustrated. They do not know what to do further. They do blunders, try to survive and ultimately get completely destroyed or doomed. If one exceeds limits, and generally nothing good takes place. In fact what would happen, we do not know and we cannot predict even. It is an experiment. It is always better to be within the limit. Whenever, wherever limits are exceeded, tragedies, chaos, failures etc take place. There are innumerable instances in this respect. Even scolding, abusing, criticizing, etc. all excesses have a limit. Shishupala exceeded all the limits. That is why Krishna killed him. Here is a story of an emperor who exceeded all the limits. Muhammad –bin-Tughlaq is known as a foolish emperor in Indian history. His rule is famous for his absurdities. Even now if a boss tries to boss over subordinates according to his whims and fancies, he is called Tughlaq and his tenure will be known as Tughlaq durbar. In this way he is popular. He ruled Delhi for 26 long years, {1325-1351}. It is really a wonder that how the people tolerated his stupidity for such a long period. It is a wonder why he was not dethroned or murdered. He flouted all administrative norms in his madness. Muhammad- bin -Tughlaq was the most controversial of all the sultans ever to rule India. Even madness has a limit. What history states about him is given here below:-

He was the most cruel, cold-blooded and crazy sultan yet. At the same time, he was also brilliant, philanthropic and an endearing person. This dichotomy in his character, perhaps would be diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder today of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Whether he was a genius or a maniacal lunatic, an idealist or a visionary, a tyrant or a benevolent king are unanswered questions. However, all these characters were apparent at one time or another in his actions. Was he a devout Muslim or a heretic? A complex man, he remains an enigma. He went against the ulema, the Muslim scholars who are experts in Muslim law and religion.

There are enough documentations of his psychotic behavior. One minute he would be effusive in his praise and shower of presents but the next he would enthusiastically shed blood and condemn one to death. One moment he would be humble but the very next moment he would be seething with anger, prone to the most cruel and violent deeds. There is an account of a poor soul who suffered the wrath of the sultan when he was flayed alive in front of the court audience and his innards were cooked with rice and force-fed to his family. Members of the family who refused to eat it were summarily executed.

For all his brilliance, he also undertook bizarre unachievable campaigns like trying to reverse Alexander’s march into India and capturing Afghanistan, Iran and Uzbekistan (what used to be called Khorasan). The conquest of Khorasan which required a strong army and later disbanding it was an act of instability. The Sultan's ambitious plan of invading Himachal and the devastation of his army owing to inhospitable climate was another blunder. The army got bogged down in Kulu with resistance from Hindus. Only ten out of a staggering force of sixty thousand horsemen returned to Delhi following this fiasco. He however had some success in Deccan and Devagiri was under his firm control. He renamed it Daulatabad and ordered his capital moved there, fourteen hundred kilometers from Delhi! When the pampered citizens of Delhi showed reluctance to move so far away, the sultan resorted to brutal force. People were evicted from their homes in Delhi and if they refused to go they were immediately put to death. Cripples were tied to the catapult and slung towards Daulatabad. A blind man was tied to a horse and dragged all the way and only one of his legs reached the final destination in Daulatabad. However, all these accounts of brutality may be exaggeration by the ulema, who were waging an acerbic war of words with the sultan in Delhi. It is said that his non-accommodation by the ulema was the reason for Muhammad of Tughlaq to move to Daulatabad. The monumental folly of the sultan soon ended when he decided to move back to Delhi. The military expenses incurred with foolish adventures and the move the capital to Daulatabad cost him dearly. To raise funds, additional taxes were levied on the poor farmers, who ran to the jungles to escape from the reprisals of a cruel sultan. The land went un-cultivated and this added further to the problem of the treasury. The resulting famine on top of an existing drought killed thousands. At this juncture the sultan turned very compassionate and distributed large amount of grains form the stocks and showed enormous concern.

The introduction of token currency brought discredit to his rule. The rampant circulation of copper coin and withdrawal of silver and gold coins brought down the value of currency. Copper coins lost its value. To overcome this Sultan ordered exchange of silver coins for copper coins. Thus people got silver coins in abundance and copper coins were in heaps. The scheme again failed utterly and people lost all the confidence in sultan. Counterfeits appeared all over the country and Muhammad was eventually forced to buy back all the tokens, real and the counterfeit, at considerable expense to the treasury.

There is no doubt that he was an idiot. But he was not fanatic like many of Muslim emperors. He died in 1351.

What we have to note here is that a fool will only bypass all the limits.