Lord Mahavira Vol 01

Author(s): S C Rampuria
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati Institute

Page 58

Thus Sayeth Lord Mahavira
49
And, for the weak, to live a restrained life is difficult, as difficult it is to fill a bag with wind.
But know this that though difficult it is to conquer one's self, when the self is conquered, five senses, and anger, conceit, deceit lust-all are conquered.
Therefore, knowing thy strength and endurance, faith and capacity, place and time, ye should employ thyself.
Greater will be his victory who conquereth his self than that of one who conquereth thousands in a valiant fight.
Fight with thy self; why fight with foes external? Happy is he who conquereth his self by his self.
Conquer thy self, for difficult it is to conquer self. If self is conquered, ye shall be happy in this world and after.
Better it is that I should conquer myself by restraint and penance than be restrained by others by fetters and death.
As a crane is produced from an egg and a egg from a crane, so delusion springs from desire and desire from delusion.
Likes and dislikes are seeds of our acts, and our acts have their origin in delusion : how we act is at the root of our births and deaths and they say that births and deaths are suffering themselves.
Suffering ceases for him who hath no delusion, delusion for him who hath no desire, desire for him who hath no lust, and lust him who owneth nothing.
Mortify thyself, forsake all delicacies of this body and overcome. Destroy thy hatred and conquer attachment ar:d be happy in this world.
He, who hath no regard for a thing hath really killed the consideration of a thing as his own. And he who hath no such consideration is a real Muni.
He is without property, without ego, without attachment, without conceit, and is of even mind towards all being, animate or inanimate.
He is of even mind in success or failure, in happiness or misery, in life or death, in praise or blame, in honour or insult.
And he is equable to things pleasant or unpleasant, to food or fast, to interest of this or the other world.
Withdraw thy heart, therefore, from fine sensualitiessensualities of sound, sight, smell, taste and touch.