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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
The Goal of Righteousness
Our ear, the fifth sense receives good instruction in righteousness. The purpose of receiving righteous knowledge is to purify the soul and put it in its original form by getting rid of the dirt surrounding it. When objects of sense colour your soul, the best remedy of righteousness is knowledge. The other two goals of life viz. desire and well-being are meant to subserve righteous life. Hence we should not lose sight of righteousness which is the foremost goal of life. The Goal of Well-being.
Shri Hemachandracharya, describes the four goals of life, in his Yogashastra, for the sake of a house-holder to live in order and delight. The first three goals of life characterize the life of a house-holder because he needs wealth to maintain his house and endeavors for righteousness to uplift his life as well.
The second goal of life, viz. well-being or wealth is important for a layman. But this goal should be achieved by fair acts. That is the correct interpretation of well-being. Even if you achieve the first goal Artha to mean wealth, you should not forget that wealth without morality, justice and righteousness of virtue is harmful because it increases attachment and aversion, which lead your soul to be engulfed by the worldly matters and consequently to hell. It also leads to possessiveness, aggressiveness etc. which promote war.
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