Book Title: Way of Life Part 1
Author(s): Bhadraguptasuri
Publisher: Vishvakalyan Prakashan Trust Mehsana

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Page 252
________________ 242 THE WAY OF LIFE A woman does not become uncommon just because she dresses and decorates herself in the manner of movie celebrities. Such artificial decoration does not make a woman extraordinary. A woman becomes extraordinary or uncommon if her mind is pure, firm and if it overflows with the nectar of sublime knowledge. An extraordinary or uncommon woman is she who faces sorrows with courage; who remains humble in the midst of happiness and whose heart blossoms with the flowers of amity etc, Can we hope to find these qualities in the women of these days? The hearts and minds of people have become completely sullied with enmity, unkindness, jealousy and abhorrence and contempt. With these vices, their hearts have become weak, foul and frail. Human beings are today wandering about in the dreadful darkness of despicable passions and deep hatred for other beings. Man has lost his capacity to distinguish between right and wrong, being completely agitated by the stupidity of infatuation. Man has been thinking in a topsy-turvy manner deeming what is right as wrong and what is wrong as right; and he makes others also think so. How can dharma appear under these conditions? Madanrekha possessed a pure mind. Dharma is nothing but the purity of mind. The purity of mind itself is the sublime dharma. Madanrekha desired the spiritual welfare of Yugabahu on account of her amity for him and she provided him with the proper provisions for his spiritual journey. THE MANNER OF DEATH DETERMINES THE KIND OF STATE THAT THE SOUL ATTAINS Madanrekha spoke to Yugabahu with the sublime feeling of amity and with words sweet as honey that stirred the inmost core of his soul. Her sweet voice touched his soul. Removing the impure thoughts from the soul and inspiring in it pure and lofty thoughts is not an ordinary "operation"; it is a very serious and difficult "operation". Just as transplanting the heart of a man is a serious and difficult operation, even transforming the heart by removing the deep-rooted thoughts from it and replacing them by exalted emotions and thoughts is a difficult and serious job. The aim of a doctor who removes unclean or impaired organs and replaces them with healthy ones is to keep Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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