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So, I had tremendous maan. I believed myself to be somebody great because I was born in a Kshatriya family (warrior class family). Patels are Kshatriya, so people give them dowries. So from the time one is born, people around him talk about the 'check' (dowry) that will be coming. I had worthy attributes too. People don't just pay dowries without a reason. They pay for the attributes of the family lineage; they pay for the social status. The lineage alone would not suffice, they also look at the family and it's prestige and honorable upstanding. Would they give dowries otherwise? What is a person from an honorable family like? He is noble. Noble means that he has some good family qualities. He does not cheat people; he is not deceitful. When he is from an honorable family and good caste, then he is worthy of a good dowry.
Now what is the definition of a noble khandaan person? It is someone who 'sheds' gives readily whether he is coming or going. Like a piece of log - it sheds wood when you pull the saw and also when you push it. So, a noble man is very humble and gives even when he receives and allows himself to be cheated when he gives to others. He gives more than he should so that the other person does not feel hurt. So he allows himself to lose when giving and also when he receives. Such a man is a noble khandaan man.
And there is no problem with the ego of such nobility. Such an ego will preserve nobility, if such a ego is not present, one will lose his nobility and will become morally bankrupt.
My elder brother lived here in Baroda so whenever I visited him, his friends would ask me, 'Bring back a pair of pants', or 'bring me a vest' or 'bring me a shirt'. Friends will do this will they not? And what was my nature? I would buy from the first vendor I stopped in to inquire about the goods. Then I would accept his prices whether they were high or low. I would buy from him so that he would not feel hurt. Therefore, I knew my nature and I also knew the nature of the people who asked me to buy for them. They would go to seven different shops, insult the vendors while bargaining with them and then they would make their purchases. I knew these people would buy things even two annas cheaper than what I would. Therefore, I would automatically deduct two annas and then one extra anna from the price I paid for their goods. If I paid twelve annas, I would tell them I paid nine. This way they could not accuse me of charging them a commission. They would say, 'I paid ten annas for the same thing and you
