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of his enemies. But the empire of self control and detachment of the Lord was the only empire in which all were treated equally and all were fearless. He had no favourites and no enemies. A tree gives its fruits and flowers and shade to one who wants to cut it as indifferently as to him who waters it; in the same way, Lord Mahavira too treated his opponents as lovingly as he treated his friends. By means of his ideal penances and renunciation, he showed to the world at every step that body should be subjected to severest punishment to be inflicted in the form if austere penances and selfcontrol; but people, on the contrary, foolishly devote themselves to the service and decoration of it, day and night. A man who wants sugar, does not worship the sugar-cane, if he has got it; but crushes it in a machine, boils the juice on fire, and then prepares sugar from it. Body is just like a sugar-cane; and one who wants to obtain spiritual bliss should crush it and heat it in the fire of severe penances. Lord Mahavira said, "There are on particular species of riches in the world. A thing, which is dear to one, is riches for him. The ignorant, the selfish, the greedy, and the people following a wrong path regard some specific things of this world as 'riches'; while the great souls, who are selfless and who are devoted to doing good to others, think that the best and the most stable wealth in the world is renunciation, charity and detachment. The daily routine of Lord Mahavira showed that controlling of senses is the first necessary thing for attaining Moksha (Liberation) and practising of penances the first step towards self-control. Here it may be asked how one can sacrifice the present happiness and attractive comforts of this world for Nirvana (Salvation), the happiness
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