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DISCOURSE XLV
RIGHT CONDUCT
Gentlemen,
Flow of series of discourses has by now realised 'Three Jewels'. This flow has enlightened Right intuition and Right knowledge. Today it will enlighten Right conduct and you should take it as an auspicious occasion.
IMPORTANCE OF RIGHT CONDUCT
Many people believe that with achievement of education and knowledge of many scriptures they have become great, but greatness is achieved only with right conduct. Here right conduct means righteous conduct as mean conduct cannot make a man great. All great men who flourished till today have been great only due to their righteous conduct. Words uttered by revered authors of the Jain scriptures deserved frequently to be ruminated. They are :
"Man with mastery in scriptural knowledge without right conduct is not better than a dunce as his knowledge bears no fruit. What is the use of millions of lamps before a blind man ? To a man of vision even a single lamp imparts illumination similarly with selfabnegation and grasping, a man with right conduct gets enlightenment even with little knowledge."
"An ass bears only the load of a sandal-wood heap; but does not enjoy the smell. In the very manner a man without righteous conduct acquires no doubt learning, recapitulation and reasoning but not the emancipated state.”
"Just as a navigator though skilled in navigation cannot reach the destination without favourable wind, soul cannot reach its destination without the wind of righteous conduct.”
MALADY OF WORLDLY-WANDERING
Despite faith in remedial effect of medicine, and knowledge of treatment of a disease, can any disease be cured if any treatment with medicine is not carried out ?
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