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DiscouRSE XLI
RIGHT CONVICTION-FAITH
Gentlemen,
You must have realised from our discourses so far that 'Right Conviction' (Samyakatva) is a very important factor in religious conduct, devotion or observance. We declared supporting our contentions with the quotations from scriptures that without right intuition right knowledge cannot be acquired ; without right knowledge right conduct cannot be achieved and without right conduct annihilation of all karmas is not effected and in the absence of such annihilation of karmas highest goal of emancipation becomes impossible. Thus right faith or right conviction is the fundamental basis and the very groundwork of religious practices.
The revered authors of the scriptures have proclaimed revealing the greatness of this right conviction.
"No jewel is more precious than the jewel of right conviction, no friend is better than the friend in the form of right conviction ; no relative is superior to the relative in the form of right faith and no gain is better than the gain of right belief."
You attach more importance to copper than iron, to silver than copper, to gold than silver, to jewel than gold as, each former commodity is more precious than the latter. Even in jewels you value more a jewel with better radiance and more weight. Very recently a popular newspaper recorded informations about popular diamonds of the world. They contained their names, values, and weights. Today Jubilee' is the costliest of all the diamonds. It weighs 239 carats. It is valued at 7 millions of rupees. Second in value stands 'Regent' weighing 137 carats and is valued at 6.7 millions of rupees. Third stands 'Great Mogul'. It weighs 269 carats and is valued at 5.5 millions of rupees. Fourth stands 'Kohinoor' weighing 106 carats and is valued at Rs. 5.2 millions. None of these diamonds values at 10 millions of rupees. But let us presume that there are diamonds costlier still and they value at Rupees 10, 20 or 30 millions of rupees, but can any of these diamonds be equalled with the value of 'Right conviction'? All the diamonds of the
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