Jaina Acara Siddhanta aur Svarupa

Author(s): Devendramuni
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 93

Jaina Acāra : Siddhanta aura Swarūpa
59 decisions are not without deliberation. They decide issues not in a huff nor swayed by emotions.
The twenty-seventh quality is of special knowledge of the duties of a householder in the domain of religion and ethics . His business formulae he knows instinctively. This he has since birth as a gift from heredity.
The twenty-eighth quality is gratefulness. Everybody is indebted to his parents, other members of his family and teachers. Every day you feel obliged to people for various things. A good householder is never thankless. What the writer of Mahabharata says is memorable. "He who does good to his detractors is a great man; who returns good for good is a common mortal and he/who does ill to his own benefactor is the most wretched one."
The twenty-ninth quality is popularity. People do try to be popular. In the Atharvaveda there are prayers such as " Make me the loved one of the good peoples and of all. Let none be inimical to me. Let none feel jealous of me. Let me be sweeter than honey and may I be respected everywhere". None can, however, be popular by mere prayer or eulogies. One has to be good and helpful to acquire il Rāma was called ' Priyadarsana' and king Asoka 'Priyadarsi' because of their good and holy look, service, cooperation, good behaviour, humility and the like are needed to be popular. Neither money nor status can purchase popularity.
The thirtieth quality is bashfulness. It is a kind of mental hitch. One born in a decent and respectable family will feel shy while attempting something wrong which does not befit his family background. Lord Mahavira himself has said, " In the garb of an ascetic if you indulge in violence and kill beings, we feel ashamed of your conduct". We should really shy away from bad things. The person who evinces shyness in his eyes can never do anything wrong. Nobody likes a brazen faced person. In Hindi there is a proverb which means that bashfulness works wonders.
The thirty-first quality is compassion.Tulsidasa has said that it is the root of piety. A kind man takes others troubles as his own and is ever ready to help them in distress.
The thirty-second quality is amiability. A good householder enjoys peace in a cool and decent atmosphere. Gentility is the hallmark of purity. A gentle man remains smiling even when he is served with poisonous food. He does not advertise his sufferings. He keeps them to himself which others can not gauge. You can recognise a sinful man from his face. A good man's face always shines and attracts others.
The thirty-third quality is doing good to others. When you care more for others than for yourself, when you satisfy others' hunger (since they all satisfy their own hunger) you are truly man. He forgets the good done to others but always remembers the good done to himself. He wants no returns and never feels proud of himself. He believes in just doing his duty.