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ADVANCED ASCETICISM (DHUTA)
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covered with layers of thick moss and lotus-leaves and full of all sorts of amphibian creatures. Once it came to pass that an aperture of the size of a tortoise's neck developed in the thick layers of moss. Dissociated from its family, a tortoise once accidentally happened to pass that way. It popped its head out of the hole and looked at the star-studded blue sky. Delighted, it thought to itself, "Why not get my entire family here and let them enjoy this beautiful sight?" So it went back, it brought its family with it and started off in search of the hole. But, as ill-luck would have it, it could never find it again. The vastness of the lake completely bewildered it.
This world is like the lake and man (householder) here is like the tortoise. "Kar man" is like the moss. Right perception is the aperture (hole) through which the limitless horizon of self-discipline (or asceticism) can be seen. But if one goes back to the household life even after perce the sky of ascetic life, and becomes attached to worldly life, he is not able to get back the glimpse of the ascetic life.
This metaphor illustrates the dejection that accompanies a sadhaka 'lacking spiritual insight.
७. भंजगा इव सन्निवेसं णो चयंति, एवं पेगे
अणेगावहिं कुलेहिं जाया, कहिं सत्ता कलुणं थणंति,
णियाणओ ते ण लभंति मोक्खं । 7. Bhaṁjagă iva sannivesam ņo cayaṁti, evaṁ pege
Anegarūvehiń kulehim jāyā, Rūvehiṁ sattă kaluna ń thana mti, Niyānao te na labhaṁti mokkhår. Just as trees do not quit their place (inspite of undergoing all sorts of vagaries of weather), so also some people (do not renounce the household life). In this world people are born in diverse kinds of families (i.e. some are born in rich families, whereas some others are born in poor families). They wail pathetically (on being confronted by hardships that arise) on account of their clinging to sensual pleasures. Such people cannot extricate themselves from the
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