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DISCOURSE 1
posing it ? Intelligent and enlightened persons do not do any work that is useless. Even the composition of a great work does not take place without an end in view. Then, you tell us what purpose the Acharya had in composing it. Did he want to earn money by writing it? Did he desire to achieve popularity and fame ? May be in this mundane world, some writers compose works with such purposes. The desire to accumulate wealth is found in house-holders; not in Sadhus or mendicants. A Shraman (a mendicant) who has renounced wealth and woman does not compose a work for the sake of money. Wealth has no use for him. Then did the great Acharya compose it for the sake of fame ? John Milton says that love of fame is the last infirmity of a noble mind but that was also not the case with the Acharyadev. He did not care for fame or popularity. Those who love fame indulge in self glorification but the Acharyadev never utters a word in praise of himself. He has not at any place in the Grantha said anything in praise of his knowledge or virtues. Surely, such purposes do not exist in the minds of those who write Dharmagranthas. Question :
Gurumaharaj! Now-a-days we find some books written by some mendicant men and women. But in those books we come across nothing but self-glorification. Answer:
What is the use of attaining name and fame? What has been the effect of the fame of such names upon your mind ? Has it been good or bad ? There are two kinds of fame. One is being famous and the other is being notorious. Some are famous and some are notorious. Those books which do not contain the wisdom of great doctrines and which do not contain anything that ennobles us and inspires us with noble ideas, but which are only compilations or conglomerations of confusing thoughts and ideas taken bodily from other works and published by authors under their names, bring only notoriety; not fame.
Some people praise such works also just as you are praised as devotees. Is it not right? Sages and saintly persons do not compose works to attain fame, but if their works become famous, that is a different matter. Acharya Shri Haribhadra Suri did
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