________________
390
PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
religion in life, life devoid of religion would not be worth any charm. Man's life is beautified and elevated only with the help of religion. Our great men have ordained in this context :
"An elephant is sublime only with his tusks, a horse with speed -not limping or slow-trotting. Big cities today plan out horseThe horse swift in speed only wins-The race only runs on the principle of horse-speed.
races.
Night is beautiful only with moon. Night devoid of moon, or with the moon set away, appears dreadful. Festivals are celebrated only on the full moon-night and not on the last day of a dark half of a month.
A flower is worth if full of fragrance. Rose is loved and relished by all and not the wild flower.
A pond looks lovely when full of water. Only in waters swelling, the lotuses grow and the variety of birds cluster around. Then only men would enjoy boating. When water is dried up all the charm vanishes.
A tree is worth only when shady. Shadeless tree is not worth the name. The banyan and the neam trees are resorted to with fondness as they spread wide their shades, but the people do not long to approach a palm tree devoid of shade.
Beauty is worth if endowed with grace and not otherwise. Persons with white skin are many in this world but they all possess no grace.
A son is worthy only when possessed of virtues and not otherwise. A meritorious son is to be preferred to hundred idiot sons.
A monk is worthy only when possessed of good moral character and not otherwise. Our scriptures ordain not to pay prostrations to a monk devoid of sound moral character.
The mansion looks gedly with idol of God and not otherwise. Similarly a man is worth if possessed of religious conduct and not otherwise. The mathematicians of religion have laid down equation: 'human life-Religion o'. When human life is devoid of religion its value is deduced to cipher.
=
Eating drinking and making merry are natural functions of life