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Rays of Dharma
he owned Rs. 50,000. The king and the courtesans were surprised to hear it, because the man was old and was known to be a millionaire. When asked to explain it, he said, 'I count the age from the time I adopted restraints; the years prior to that were worthless, because they were spent in availing food, sleep, etc. Moreover, what I spent for the right purpose is my true property. As such, I said that I have Rs. 50,000. Rest of the property went in vain.'
The true human life starts thus from the time one turns to the right path, when he makes out the essence of religion, contemplates over it and concentrates upon it. Then he forsakes the taste for any type of food, keeps sleep under control, stays fearless, harnesses the sex and lays limitations on his possessions. Control over these five instincts constitutes the seed of religion.
A religious person's lifestyle thus undergoes radical change and that should occur at the internal level; the impact of change at the external level would be short-lived. The lasting change occurs after one gains the right perception. Thereafter one does not do anything for the sake of exhibiting to others; he does it in the interest of his soul. While undertaking any activity, he remains vigilant so that it does not hurt the soul.
Such a person is termed here as old. Since he remains oriented to the soul, he is also termed as wise. What he speaks is sweet; he invariably avoids harshness. As mango tastes sweet to everyone, so do the people remain pleased to hear his talks. We see that many people get harsh-tongued in old age; that is wrong. After undergoing experiences in life, one should learn to remain peaceful; he should behave like a stream of affection. Old people need not be burdensome to others.
With the advent of old age, one generally turns towards worship and devotion. But he also needs to develop the bearing capacity. During his life he must have gone through ups and downs and that might have tested his bearing capacity. As such, he should now be able to patiently bear the hardships that he may come across. When 130
