________________
Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
124
A thief is a despicable person but one who cheats others is several times more despicable than a thief. By means of deception and fraud a man may achieve some profit once but fraud does not bring profit every time. Dry fire-wood cannot be put into an oven a second time because it burns away at the very first instance.
What is there at the root of friendship? Faithfulness. Fraud destroys faith. माया मित्ताणि नासेइ ॥
- af Māyā mittäni näseyi
-Dashavaikalika “Deception destroys friendship.”
This statement is always true. On account of hypcrisy we have to face many difficulties; and so we are advised to discard it.
व्यसन शत सहायां दूरतो मुञ्च मायाम् ॥
Vyasana shata sahāyām durato muncha māyām
We should discard deception and hypocrisy which help hundreds of agonies to arise.
Deception practised to acquire wealth is not so dangerous as the deception practised for thc sake of Pharma or religion. The lady Tirthankar Mallinātha, in ber previous life as Mahābhala performed tapas. But she concealed it from her friends and uttered a lie about it saying that on that day she was not taking food because she was suffering from a stomach-ache. While actually she was fasting. On account of this deception, she had to experience the evil consequence of being born as a woman. Hence it has been said:
A little fraud practised even in the matter of dharma or religion can bring about evil consequences. It is said in the Tatvārtha Sutra:
TTT Rettula FIT 11 Maya thairyagyonasya
For Private And Personal Use Only
