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Studies in Indian Philosophy
Happy life in heaven (sarga) is the usual reward of merits Happiness (sukha) is that which is desirable, which pleases. The hallmark of heav.n is that there is only happiness In contrast to heaven, hell has only sorrow, while in this world of ours there are both happiness and sorrow, Desire for happiness and fear of suffering and hell may be considered as the two important factors which inspire beings towards practice of moral virtues.
It will be incorrect to assume, however, that merits are accumulated only for the enjoyment of rewards in a future life. Some people may earn merits by doing good work with a view to gaining a good reputation and glory in this very life. Some people may perform meritorious deeds for eradicating their sins, wbile a few might be inspired to pursue merits out of love and reverence for piety or with a view to growing in holiness. An important reason behind the accumulation of merits may be desire to get and possess enormous supernatural powers. This is especially true of numerous figures of India's legendary and mythical past. The names of a king like Hariscandra, a brāhmaṇa se er like Visvämitr an ascetic sage Uke Kapilamuni, represent a whole series of beings, either historical, semi-historical or wholly imaginary, whose supernatural exploits, almost incredible to a modern mind, occupy hundreds of pages of the Mahābhārata and the Visnuite Purānas. Like the practice of yoga, merits were stored for secular purposes also - victory in war, immunity from a disease or curse, control over the forces of nature, such as rain and storm, and so on.
A critic has observed that "the doctrine of the merit of good works has fared poorly. Some religions practically ignore it, notably the Bhakti-mārga of India and the Sufism of Persia."18 This, in our opinion, is an exaggeration of a fact; although faith and love are the dominant notes of the sects of Bhakti tradition of India, it will be too much to maintain that they overlooked virtues like ethical excellence, compassion, and liberality. Kabīr, Nāpaka and Tulasīdāsa are the most
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