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## Verse 622
## Path of Right Conduct / 683
There are two kinds of beings: those with merit and those with demerit. A being who possesses right faith and vows is a being of merit. The opposite is a being of demerit. || 622 ||
**Explanation of the Verse:**
In verse 623, it is stated that beings with wrong faith and those with wrong conduct are both considered to be beings of demerit. This is because both wrong faith and wrong conduct are contrary to right faith. The explanation of this will be discussed in the commentary of verse 623. Here, we are explaining which being is a being of merit and which is a being of demerit.
"Beings who are endowed with auspicious and inauspicious consequences are beings of merit and demerit respectively." || 1 ||
Shri Kundakunda Acharya has also stated in the Mulachara:
"A being who is endowed with right faith, right knowledge, the five great vows, and the restraint of passions, i.e., the three jewels, is a being of merit. A being who is not endowed with the three jewels is a being of demerit." || 2251472 ||
Among the three jewels, conduct is the most important, because "conduct is indeed dharma." The fruit of liberation is attained through the tree of dharma, which is conduct, not through its roots.
**Doubt:**
In the "Dravyasangraha," a being endowed with auspiciousness is called a being of merit. What is meant by auspiciousness there?
**Resolution:**
In the commentary of the "Dravyasangraha," Shri Brahmadeva Suri has quoted the following two verses regarding auspiciousness:
"One who vomits out the poison of wrong faith, who cultivates the feeling of right faith, who performs excellent devotion, who is devoted to feeling-salutation, who is always immersed in knowledge, who is a protector of the five great vows, who restrains the four passions, who conquers the strong senses, who strives for the perfection of austerities, and who is the opposite of this is a being of demerit." || 1 ||
"A being who is endowed with such auspiciousness is a being of merit." || 2 ||
1. Brihad Dravyasangraha, Verse 38
2. Prachchana Sara, Verse
3. Brihad Dravyasangraha, Commentary on Verse 30