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Aptavani-5
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Aptavani-5
relinquishing and ignoring), and the Self-form is considered upadeya (that which is worthy of acquisition and consideration) and that is real dharma. Therefore real dharma and relative dharma are both separate.
If the purpose (artha) of your life results in worldly selfinterest, it is called adharma (lack of religion) and if it leads to religion of the Self, it is called dharma. The same holds true with reference to passion (kaam). If the passion is for the self, it is adharma. If there is dispassion for the self, and passion for the Self, it is dharma.
Questioner: Can any living being survive without dharma?
Dadashri: No living being is ever outside of dharma. It is either in dharma or in adharma.
Questioner: There are many who do not believe in a higher God, do they?
Dadashri: You should not call those who do not believe in God, atheists or agnostics (nastik). It is a tremendous crime to call them nastik. Why is that? Because those who have the awareness of 'I am', they are all astik (theistic), whereas dharma exists in so many different ways. Some believe in ethical principles, some believe in truth, some believe in saving lives; that is also one of the steps of dharma. Building temples is not the only dharma. It is acceptable if a person follows the religion of good conduct and never goes to a temple to do darshan. He does not need to do anything else. Honesty is the greatest force of dharma. There is no greater force of dharma than honesty and ethics.
When there is no ethical standard and honesty, one tries to be religious, goes to temple and says, 'Dear Lord, I cheat my customers by stretching the cloth when I measure it, so please forgive me.' Why do the businessmen stretch the cloth as they
measure it? I ask them why they stretch the cloth while also having a reverence for God? They tell me, 'We do it because everyone else does it.' I ask them, 'Would you jump into a well if others do? Why do you stretch the cloth?' Then they tell me, 'If I stretch a forty yards cloth when I measure it, I can save one fourth of a yard.' Hey you! Why are you doing a stretching exercise? You are committing adverse internal meditation (raudradhyan) every time you do this. What will happen to you? I have seen you sitting in the crowd listening to Lord Mahavir. The very people who were sitting amongst the crowd listening to Lord Mahavir's sermons that enlightened, are still here stretching their cloth and they have still not attained moksha. They got left behind, lost their opportunity of moksha, for their petty greed, some mere relish that was missing on their plate; they did not get left behind because they were waiting for an entire plate.
Questioner: Truth, non-violence, and honesty are all divine attributes. Is it possible that if a person were to devote himself to one of these attributes, the rest will automatically follow?
Dadashri: All of them will come if one latches on to just one of them. The Light, the Intent, the Doer, the
Circumstances Questioner: Can a man survive through faith? How is he to do that?
Dadashri: After you board a ship and you have a suspicion that it is likely to sink, you will get off that ship, but what if you have faith (shraddha) in that ship? Would you not remain on board? What do you think? One will immediately move away if one does not have faith.
Questioner: Many times I have faith when I am doing some work and yet I end up with difficulties in doing it.
