________________
218
THE WAY OF LIFE
also a gift of thirty two lakhs. With great honour and ceremony, he took the Queen to the palace.
Lilavati got a gold idol of Parashawanath made. She enshrined it in her house and worshipped it every day. She recited with devotion every day the Navakar mantra and meditated upon it. She never drank unfiltered water. She never took food in the nights and she lived according to the dictates of Dharma. The king made Lilavati his queen-consort.
THE WORSHIP SHOULD BE MEANINGFUL
Lilavati carried out Dharma in accordance with scriptural prescriptions. She performed every spiritual austerity in the manner which had been described in the scriptures. Therefore, her spiritual austerities and activities were in accordance with Dharma. The clouds of her sorrow were scattered away only by the tempest of Dharma. It was on account of Dharma, that she attained happiness and her fame increased and she became ennobled and chastened.
That austerity which is carried out according to scriptural prescriptions constitutes Dharma. We have thought about this point in detail. Now, the third point to be thought about and remembered is this. Every spiritual austerity that you perform must be performed with the lofty emotions of amity, love, compassion and neutrality. Only that austerity which is performed by a person whose heart is filled with these four emotions, becomes Dharma. We shall discuss this point in greater detail to-morrow.
This is enough for to-day.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
