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INTRODUCTION
pain and tries to eradicate the pain by prescribing suitable remedies. It is chill penury that turns the mind of a man towards God. Knocks and blows of a severe type wean the mind of a man from sensual objects and turn it towards the spiritual path. Pain and poverty, evil and misery mould the character of a man more than pleasure and wealth. Poverty has its own advantages. Censure and blows are better teachers than praise and honour. Pain is a better teacher than pleasure. Poverty is better teacher than wealth. Pain and poverty develop endurance in man. Sri Sankara, the greatest philosopher and genius the world has ever produced was born in a very poor family. Lord Jusus was born the son of a carpenter. Poor people exert to achieve greatness, whereas the sons of rich people lead a life of luxury and inertia. They are happy-go-lucky. Several knocks immediately produce Viveka and Vairagya, change the angle of vision and raise up the spiritual fire that lies within.
The impressions of small and big actions coalesce together and form tendencies. The tendencies develop into character. Character produces will. If a man has a strong character, he has a strong will. Karma produces character and character in turn produces will. People of gigantic will have developed it through Karma done in countless births. It is not in one birth that a man develops a mighty will. He does various good actions in several births. The potencies of these actions collect together and in one birth the
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