________________
Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
earned lakhs of rupees. By the grace of the Paramatma he was blessed with a family, a bungalow and health. He secured all kinds of worldly prosperity. But karmas came in the way.
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
He thought egoistically, "I have achieved all this. 1 had nothing in the beginning. All this is the result of my intelligence." If a person thinks arrogantly thus, he may lose everything. In this infatuation of his earthly splendour, he forgets the Paramatma and his soul. Karmas may begin to exercise their sway over his life. They may cause some disease in him. This happened in the case of that merchant, He began to suffer from some disease which caused great pain in the brain. He consulted doctors. They said, "You have a brain-tumour. It is very dangerous. Because of the tumour blood-circulation will be impeded. Now an operation has to be carried out. Even the operation may not be successful. Moreover, it cannot be carried out here. You have to go abroad. You may consult the doctors there and get the operation carried out by them."'
The doctors gave such a death-certificate.
Once, a noble man happened to be living in a thatched cottage. One day accidentally, it caught fire and began burning. The neighbours came to put out the fire. They were trying to put out the fire because they feared that the fire might spread to their houses also.
"By saving others from danger, we save ourselves from danger."
Saving the souls of others from decline and ruin is to save our own souls from ruin.
When the noble man was informed that his cottage was on fire, he said, "No. Nothing of mine is being burnt. My soul is quite safe, That is my real possession. What does it matter if such external objects are burnt ? If our inner self is safe, everything is safe." He continued to be in the house.
79
For Private And Personal Use Only