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mah vratas, forgiveness, gentleness / sweetness, simplicity, contentment, control of mind, to be ever alert towards carelessness through constantly being immersed in knowledge, to consider all living beings as friends and indifference to all the goings-on in the world by being without desires, unbiased and detached - this is la-dharma (conduct).
Dharma has a third category - tapa (austerity) dharma. Austerities are of two kinds - external and internal austerities. Fasting, eating only a small portion of food, etc are external austerities, and study of scriptures, meditation, suppression of the senses, etc are internal austerities. Gradually increasing the practice of thee two types of austerities is tapadharma.
The fourth kind of dharma is 'mental attitude (bh van dharma)'. There are 12 types of attitudes hence bh van dharma is also of 12 kinds. These are: 1 anitya bh van (attitude towards impermanence) 2 a ara a bh van (helplessness) 3sams ra bh van (transitory-ness) 4 ekatva bh van (solitariness) 5 anyatva bh van (otherness) 6 a uci bh van (impure thoughts / impurity) 7 srava bh van (karmic influx) 8 samvara bh van (stopping karmic influx) 9 nirjar bh van (dissociation of karmas) 10 lokaswar pa bh van (cosmos and its structure) 11 bodhidurlabha bh van (rarity of enlightenment) and 12 dharma bh van (spiritual conduct). If a person desirous of attaining salvation reflects, contemplates and focuses on even one of these 12 bh van s intensely, that person certainly becomes eligible for salvation very soon. This way the c rya gave an elaborate exposition on d na- la-tapa dharma.
Hearing from c rya Vinay nanda of the true form dharma, prince Puru asimha opened his mental eye. With folded hands, prostrating before the c rya he requested, “Revered one! A new path becomes visible to me based on the beautiful form of dharma you have spoken to me of. I am now disgusted with worldly affairs. I request you to initiate me into rama adharma and let me take refuge in you."
Thus taking permission from his parents, prince Puru asimha took initiation from c rya Vinay nanda into rama a-dharma (mendicancy). After accepting the path of mendicancy he studied the gamas under his teacher with great dedication, and for a long time, adhering to selfdiscipline (observing austerities), he attained the n ma karma of a T rthamkara out of excellent veneration of several causes /reflections out
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