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Mane dainya bhayam bale ripubhayam rūpe tāruṇyādbhayam |
Sastre vädabhayam gune khala-bhayam kaye kṛtäntädbhayam,
Sarvam vastu bhayānvitam, bhuvi nṛṇām
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vairāgyamevābhayam || 106
The substance of th The substance of this verse is that there is only one thing for which there is no fear of losing and that is vairāgya, all other things, like articles of enjoyment, high family (kuļa), riches (vittam), pride, strength, beauty, learning, virtues, body etc., are lost or destroyed for one reason or the other and they ultimately leave one unhappy. This is so because these things, by their very nature, being transient, are bound to leave and desert one, one day or the other. In fact, it is the attachment for those things which is the real cause of unhappiness and sufferings, but we find that everybody does have attachment for these things. Vairāgya being absence of any attachment for such things, there is no question of becoming unhappy because of the loss of such things. In fact for a man, who has vairāgya, the things do not exist because their presence and absence are equal for him. It is for this reason that Bhartṛhari has described vairagya as something which only is the safest thing as it cannot leave and desert one.
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Mahāvīra has, as is very well known, laid great
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