Mokshamala

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 49

"When I was well set in that trade, I extended it to India and was successful; and within two years I accumulated about half a million. Thereupon I took the permission of the ship owner to leave. I bought some merchandise from Java and sailed for Dwärikä. When I reached here, many people had been to receive me. I happily met all my relatives, they admired my good look, and the merchandise that I had bought in Java could be sold at five times its cost.
"Punditji, I had to undertake some sinful activities in Java, when I was barely getting enough to eat. By virtue of good luck I had succeeded in my resolve to regain the wealth. Was there anything lacking in distress that I had undergone? I did not have wife or children; neither did I have parents. The loss of family and going to Java in a penniless condition drew tears in my eyes during that state of ignorance. But I had not forsaken religion at that time; I was spending a part of the day for that purpose. It was not done for getting wealth or for any other worldly temptation; I considered it a way to come out of worldly miseries. Death overtakes at any moment; it was therefore my plan to perform religious activity to the extent possible. I had kept my attention directed towards the fact that bad conduct does not lead to happiness; it does not lead to peace of mind and the soul gets impure thereby.'
Lesson 64: Concept of happiness, Part 4
The gentleman continued. 'After coming back here I got a bride from a respectable family and she turned out to be of noble character and well-restrained. By her I have three sons. Because of my vast business and also because money begets money, I became a billionaire in ten years. I have made arrangements to see that my sons maintain high level of thinking, intelligence and morality; thereby they have reached the present stage. I have also improved the lots of other relatives by settling them in appropriate positions. I have made certain rules for running the business and have started constructing the palatial abodes.
*All this I did for making my name; I did it for regaining what I had lost and for retaining the family fame. I do not consider it as happiness. I am, of course, better off than others, but that is the consequence of comfortably bearable Karma; it does not constitute true happiness. In the world at large there generally prevail uncomfortably bearable Kamas.
'I regularly spend my time in religious aspects. I devote my time in reading and contemplating over the sacred books and in contacting the saintly persons; I secretly give donations and observe celibacy on 12 days a month. I have mostly given up worldly involvement pertaining to day to day life; I want to be a disentangled monk after adequately settling my sons in the practical life. My not getting disentangled at present is not due to the worldly charm or on such other account; it relates to a religious consideration. The lay life has sunk to a very low level and monks are not in a position to raise it. A layman can better explain to the laymen; he can also demonstrate by his own character. As such, I talk to them about the true lay life and bring them to the line of vows and restraints. Every week we hold a meeting, which is attended by about 500 people. I talk to them for two hours about the religious experience during the preceding week.
*My wife knows about the role of females in religious realm; she holds weekly meetings for women and talks to them about the vows and restraints. My sons also stay in touch with religious books. My employees give respect to the learned as well as to the guests and generally observe the rules of courtesy, truth, fixed rates etc. Thereby they experience the peace of mind. The people at large have been impressed by my wealth as well as my morality, religious approach, virtues and gentleness. Even the king and other royal personages adopt my standards of morality. Please remember, I am not telling all this for self-praise; I am simply telling it in brief for the sake of clarifying the points that you had raised.'