Way of Life Part 3

SR No.: 006515
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Bhadraguptasuri
Publisher: Vishvakalyan Prakashan Trust Mehsana
Publication Year: 1986
Total Pages: 348
Language: English
Classification: Book_English & Religion
File Size: 18 MB

Page 327

DISCOURSE 71
satisfaction. A man might have taken a vow in the days of his anguish but it is not easy to observe his vow when he gets prosperity. A man can continue to act according to his vow only if he has a strong will-power. Otherwise, it will not be long before he breaks his vow.
The beggar became a wealthy merchant. Yet, he remained humble and gentle. He never forgot the benefaction that the Seth had bestowed upon him. He continued to eat the food that agreed with his constitution. He ate food only when he felt
hungry.
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EAT YOUR FOOD AT PROPER TIMES
You must eat food only when you feel hungry. The food may be agreeable to your constitution but you should not eat when you are not hungry. If you eat food when you are not hungry, your digestion may be upset and you may suffer from indigestion. Even after you feel hungry, if you do not eat food, your body will become weak. Even if you eat food after your hunger has been satisfied, it will cause harm to your body. Therefore, you must eat food only when you feel hungry. The beggar who became a merchant ate food at the right times. So he was physically healthy. He also enjoyed mental health and then there appeared in him a spiritual attitude. Again and again, he remembered the benefaction of the Mahatma and he always saluted him in his heart. "It is only on account of that great man's compassion, that I have become healthy and happy. What a great vow did I receive from him? It is on account of the efficacy of that vow that to-day I am enjoying physical and mental health and economic prosperity. Now, I must carry out spiritual austerities for the welfare of my soul."
It is a lofty virtue not to forget the benefactions of one's benefactors. If this virtue of gratitude is present in a man, countless other virtues will appear in him. The spiritual austerities performed by a virtuous man will bring about extraordinary results. The spiritual austerities performed by the beggar-seth brought about their fruits. The span of his life ended and in his next life, he was born in a royal family: