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MAN MUST GIVE UP WORLDLY DESIRES
Dt. 08-02-1982
person should have food, clothing and shelter, but these necessities could be kept to the minimum by taking appropriate steps. A person, who has 50 pairs of dresses, for instance, can live with a lesser number.
Even the thought of possessing a desired object, without real necessity, is a sin the Jains believe. To the common man, the desire to acquire something which he deeply cherishes may not appear as a sin, but it would be the origin for all his succeeding misdeeds.
The more one harbours desires within, the greater will be the misery. However no man can be without desires because the instinct to possess is inherent in all living beings. The Sutra has provided the solution.
Apart from minimising one's needs, attachment to one's belongings should also be given up, as it is an obstacle in the spiritual path.
The banyan tree that grows in all its grandeur, has come out of a tiny seed and this cannot be disputed, but the tree cannot be seen in the seed. Attachment to worldly articles is a prime sin. The man, who has developed an attitude of detachment, will keep his wealth as if he is a trustee and use if for spiritual uplift. Such a person will never feel elated at his riches nor regret if he is deprived of them.
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The main principle of a successful life
is reduction of desires.
In a discourse, H. H. Acharya Vijay Vikramsurishwarji, at Madras, said the Dasvaikalik Sutra, a Jain Aagama, explains five vows - non-violence, truthfulness, honesty, celibacy and detachment from worldly possessions-laying emphasis on the last.
A weak person indulges in speaking ill
of others which destroys himself.
Firstly, one should control the flow of his desires He may have many wants but he should remember the requirements of others also. No doubt, every
