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are taking your commission by charging me twelve annas?' I have never taken any commission. I have not learnt to charge any commission.
I have never taken commission in my life. If someone asked me for a favor; 'Can you make arrangements for them to release my goods, when you go there?' Now he may have goods worth twenty-five thousand rupees. What if I were to charge a commission of three hundred or so rupees? Would he even think that I would charge a commission? Is that why he asked me for help? No. He asked me because he trusts me, so then would I violate his trust in this way? This did not suit me.
Questioner: But this is all common in business and natural, is it not?
Dadashri: What is natural? Can you take money this way? Not to do so is nobility. If one does not try to preserve this ego of nobility, in the absence of Gnan, then he will become totally bankrupt. We are noble people! Noble people cannot do anything wrong. Nobility is to not do anything that is socially unacceptable. A noble person cannot do anything that others will criticize. If a person claims to be noble when he continues to do deeds which are socially unacceptable, then it is false nobility. No one will accept that. There is contradiction in a situation where one claims to be noble when others criticize him; this equation does not work.
If you do any work and then say, I did it,' then the nobility khandaani goes away. A noble man will be let go both times, while giving or while taking. A ignoble man on the other hand is like the saw will 'cut both times, while giving and while taking.
Craving for respect
Now the one who has grown up with plenty of respect in all matters has no hunger for respect at an older age. If the hunger for respect-maanhas been satisfied in childhood, then he has no hunger for respect later on. A human life can be destroyed if one has been scarred with contempt in childhood. In childhood, if one got insulted over and over and never given any respect, and thus has been scorned to the point of rejection, then he makes a firm inner resolution—niyanu for maan—earning respect exclusively. Such a person grows to be a big maani-perpetually hungry for respect and recognition. From the very young age he makes a decision that, now I want to get ahead of everybody and be successful. So he makes this
