Golden Steps To Salvation

Author(s): Padmasagarsuri
Publisher: Arunoday Foundation

Page 15

1. NON-STEALING
DEAR HONEST GENTLEMEN AND LADIES,
The initial form of dharma or religious temperament can be seen in honesty. Even in those socialistic and communistic countries where religion is considered to be the opium of the masses, honesty exists. The people living in those countries have realized that honesty is the basis for success in business; hence they are honest Up'oughoni their lives. In other words, though they despise religion, they are essentially religious.
What is the condition that prevails in our country, Bhārata? Here, in our country, various religious and spiritual activities abound in temples, mosques, churches, Gurudwars, monasterie., and other holy places. Thousands of discourses are heard by devotees but if it comes to the question of honesty, we have to search for it with the help of a light. In these days, we read in newspapers about robberies in banks, trains, and buses. Even in tho: » who do not commit such open robberies, we discern corruption, dishonesty, cupidity and moral intrepidity. It is difficult to find even a few honest people among millions of people. From this, it is evident that we like to be called righteous people but that we do not make righteousness a part and parcel of our nature: and that we do not want to become righteous.
Dishonesty is practised for the sake of acquiring wealth but the wealth that is acquired through dishonesty does not remain with us. There is a proverb in Hindi, “The wealth acquired by stealth flows away through a drain.” In English also there is a similar proverbial statement: “ill-got, ill-spent."
G.S.-1