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To curb desires, to be indifferent to worldly things, whether agreeable or disagreeable, and to reside in one's real nature undisturbed ("Svasvabhava or Nijguna") is a real penance.
It is not the nature of the soul to eat but as it is caged into the body, food is required to nourish the body. In order to ragain our original nature of foodlessness (anaharipad), we should make a beginning to form the pracitce of observing Navkarsi, paursi, ekasana, beasana, ayambil, fasts. (1, 2 or 3 days etc.)
दिने दिने यदभ्यस्तं दानमध्ययनं तपः ।
तेन चाडभ्यासयोगेन, तदेवाडभ्यस्यते पुन: ॥ As we have already seen before, we should dailly practise charity, study and penance, because these are regained in the next birth. The Bhagvat Geeta also says : "If one dies while doing Yoga practice, he will commence again his unfinished aradhana (endeavour) in the next birth, so indixed by the past practice in previous birth and will fulfill the purpose, his heart is set upon.
We should observe penance with the aim of destroying the bonds of karma and not with a view to getting mundane things like wealth, a woman, a son, etc. Such mundane objects were left behind by us in many a birth in the past, and will certainly be left behind in present birth also. Observing penance to obtain short lived material gains, is prohibited in religion for it is like parting with a gem to collect a nickel.
It is, however, prayed-"Oh God ! though, 'niyanu' desire for a specific fruit is forbidden in your religio is canon, i humbly crave to serve and worship thee alone, birth after birth. By my bowing down to you in reverence and by your grace, let there be destruction of destress, annihilation of my karmas, peaceful death (Samadhi maran) and the gift of "Bodhi" (True faith). Thus, we should certainly pray so that quality of our future lives would improve".
Mamman did gain wealth but he only hoarded it and went to hell after death. He used to eat only black-eyed beans (chola) and oil. A "dhoti" and a jacket were his dress. Wealth generally has three outlets : (1) Charity; (2) Enjoyment and (3) Destruction. Spending it in good deeds like charity etc. is the best use it can be put to. Shalibhadra got immense wealth. He enjoyed it to his heart's Content as long as he desired to do so and accomplished highest bliss by renouncing it at the end as he accepted monkhood. Such wealth is worth its name which it
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