Manava Dharma

Author(s): Bhurmal Shastri, Nihalchandra Jain
Publisher: Aacharya Gyansagar Vagartha Vimarsha Kendra

Page 38

16/MANAV DHARMA
To illustrate it, suppose a letter is received by a man from his friend, where it was written that his wife became a widow. On reading this version, he starts weeping and mourning. The nearby people asked why was he mourning? He replied that on receipt of such a message from his friend, that his wife attained widowhood, he was weeping People laughed at him and it was a point to be laughed upon, because he should understand that how could his wife be a widow as long as he himself, a husband was alive? Definitely there is something wrong and unbelievable written in that letter. This can be a joke or a false version, written by a jolly man in the name of his own friend, or further, it can be due to negligence or an oversight of his friend, that such an error has bee committed. To conclude, believing such irrational dogmatic thoughts, people start. creating doubts on the admittable scriptures and began to call them the oldest mythological preachings. But the author emphasises that, at first none of the scriptures (Agam) can be such because it contains letters, words and sentences and all words and sentenees do not come out spontaneously but with proper efforts. On admitting it for a while, that mythological scripture can not reveal its own meaningful explanation to us but to know it properly and rightly, we shall have to seek the guidance of some expert. In mythological scripture, every narration can not be taken as useful, reasonable and authentic. Theft and adulteration are not such attributes promulgamated by any authority but are over prevalent since ages. But still they are vices, hence not acceptable. To pay respect to elderly and honourable persons is taught to every child by the parents but still it is taken as good and beneficial for the child. Hence we should take it for granted that scripture (34) is nothing but the version of a preceptor or APTA which prohibits us from going to lower path of conduct. or miconduct.
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Thus after narrating the rational nature of the scripture now the author proceeds to narrate the attributes or characteristics of a Preceptor, absorbed in meditation and contemplation.
विषयाशावशातीतो निरारम्भोऽपरिग्रहः 1 ज्ञान-ध्यान- तपो रक्तस्तपस्वी स प्रशस्यते ॥१०॥
Explanation :
That Preceptor is praise worthy who has no desires for sensual pleasures, who has renouneed all worldly occupations and possessions, and who is always absorbed in study, meditation and contemplation.