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PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
467
world, nay even all the royal riches of the world taken jointly would be surpassed in esteem and value by 'Right Faith'. Even the entire kingship of suzerain king of the universe would be surpassed by ‘Right Faith' as nothing in the world can equal 'Right faith'.
Diamonds, jewels and regal pomp entice a man, make him commit many evil acts and lead him to hell and ruin him in the end; whereas right faith bestows right vision upon a man; makes him firm on the path of religion and leads him to the reservoir of eternal and inexhaustible bliss. Now tell us, how would you compare right faith with any material object of the world ? Thus the statement evincing incomparable value of right faith is valid and worth.
Hitopadesha, the popular treatise on moral philosophy lays down:
"A house without a son is desolate, and life without a righteous friend is desolate."
Here note carefully the word, “a righteous friend,” as there are many a friend posing friendliness, and contracting friendship for selfish purpose in this world. Those who make friends for selfish motive, disappear after their motive is fulfilled and behave thereafter as strangers. Such friends are not righteous friends. Righteous friend is he who loves truly, who is aggrieved at our p and who helps in calamities without any reserve. In this connection there is an interesting story about four friends in Panchatantra which you must learn.
FOUR FRIENDS
There was a big tree of Shalmali on the bank of river Godāvari. A crow dwelt on the tree. Seeing a hunter one day in the morning it thought, "The day seems to be inauspicious as in the morning I see the evil face of a hunter.” In the morning you get up and folding hands you see curved line on your palm to remember Siddhashree. (The location of the emancipated souls). The reason is, you pass your day happily thereby.
The hunter scattering rice grains, spread the net to trap birds and concealed himself in the neighbouring bush. Birds on flight in the sky, having spied these grains thought to come down to eat the grains. Old leader of the birds, Chitragreeva said, "Brethren,
