Bhavana Bodh

Author(s): Shrimad Rajchandra
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram

Page 52

BHAVANA BODH
and all this inspire one to adopt a life of renunciation and total nonattachment. The inconvenience and privations to be suffered in ascetic life, which amount to external unhappiness, are regarded as total unhappiness and the unbearable sufferings endlessly visiting wordly life are regarded as happiness from quite external physical considerations. How strange delusion is this? The difficulties, one has to face while leading an ascetic life, are quite nominal as compared with nothing but hellish life of a worldly man. The difficulties or pain to be undergone by an ascetic for developing a noble character, should not be regarded as pain or suffering at all; on the contrary they are to be taken as opportunities for a better life of self realization. Thus the little pain of ascetic strictness is really a doorway to permanent happiness and bliss, while the transient sense pleasures, ending in deadly diseases are to be regarded as unpleasent road to total unhappiness and misery. What from superficial external sight appears as joy and happiness, is really unhappiness and full of pain and suffering. It is the cause of great unhappiness. This is proved beyond doubt by the dialogue of Mrugaputra with his parents. The non - attachment and a spirit of renunciation, shown by Mrugaputra, is described here to prove what is correct happiness. One who behaves like Mrugaputra reaches the highest state of liberation as did Mrugaputra. Such a saint realises the self which is the highest success of human life. This sense of mineness, with which the worldly life is led by all worldly persons is the cause of unending unhappiness and knowing this fully well, the great philosophers like Mrugaputra practise the ascetic life full of correct insight, right knowledge and consequent right behaviour or action. It is such life only that will bring endless happiness and peace to a living being.
The life of great ascetic Mrugaputra, the best of all, points to the resigning of cyclic worldly living and all its accompaniments and adoption of a good enlightened ascetic life for realising the highest aim of human life namely self-realization or liberation. Here comes to an end the life story of Mrugaputra. Philosophers always think of retirement from worldly life of cyclic rotation and the path of sin and