Manava Dharma

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

Page 61

MANAV DHARMA / 39 is taken as right and such right is chased by the people of the world. Not only this but there are so many evils or evil traditions which are being followed by the people willingly, though all of them are useless. For example- To arrange a social Dinner on the death of a person with this belief that this will transit the dead body into better existence at the time of next Birth. is a perverse belief; because we daily observe that the food eaten by us will not satisfy the hunger of the man seating near us. Then how should we believe that offering Food and Clothing to Brahmins after the death-ceremony will reach to our Ancestors to satisfy their thirst and hunger and other material needs in the next world? This is at all irrelevant to think even when we are totally unaware about their next Gati'. (f) existence and in what capacity: But we fail to consider deeply on this transitional process of the worldly soul.
Now here the author is describing a very interesting incident or story regarding this perverse Belief ( मिथ्या श्रद्धान)
On the day of SHEETLA -ASHTHAMI (male), the ladies generally go, with some sweet-eatable articles, to the potter's house and worship the Donkey known as the chariot of SHEETLA. The husband of one of the Ladies, who was a learned one, asked his wife to bring one or two hair of the donkey, as he was badly in need of that. The woman tried to do what her husband told her. She went to potter's house with her other lady-friends, worshipped the donkey and while on returning, she cruelly plucked two hair from the neck of the donkey. Seeing her, the other ladies also imitated her and all of them also plucked the hair, taking it a tradition for that day. After returning home, that woman handed over the hair to her busband, who made an inquiry as to what more had happened there? The woman replied that when she plucked the hair, every one imitated her, and it resulted that the donkey became hairless. Again the husband asked his wife to go to other ladies and to enquire what use they would make of the hair? And the ladies replied that they knew nothing; they had only imitated her. To conclude it can be said that such type of imitation has been going on in this world since-long without knowing the reality. This process is being followed by the insensible or ignorant people and this is known as perversebelief or folly or "Lok Mudhata" (-) But a learned man will never be a blind follower; he will never do any action blindly. He always stands in opposition to blind traditions. He agrees to follow up a work, upto the limit of its utility. To become a blind follower is beyond his spiritual capacity. But this version is not applicable to ignorant and unlearned men. They are not only mistaken in their