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received from my benefactor. I will render him some help in return for the benefit he has bestowed upon me". This kind of thinking is a clear manifestation of the quality of amity. Maintaining a loving friendship with one's benefactors is a specially significant virtue. Alas! in this world, this quality is a rarity. It has become common for people now-a-days to forget their benefactors. You must remember one vital point. That man who forgets the benefactions he has received from a benefactor and who has no amity or reverence for his benefactors, is unfit to carry out spiritual activities. He is unfit to step into the sphere of dharma. The virtue of gratitude is essential for a man who wants to perform spiritual austerities. The meaning of all this is, "The amity for a benefactor is the foundation for the adoration and practice of dharma.” In a great grantha entitled Yogasar, the author says, "Amity love, compassion and neutrality are the roots of the great tree called dharma". This is absolutely true and right. In the absence of those qualities dharma can never remain firm in a man's heart.
The Muniraj, Manichud communicated a profoundly significant message to Maniprabh. Do you remember the message. This is the message, "To a man, he is the Gurudev who established in his mind pure dharma". He from whom a man attains pure dharma is his Gurudev. The Muniraj did not say this, "Madanrekha is after all a Shravika who has not renounced the worldly life completely. I have renounced the world completely. It is impolite and improper on the part of this god to honour her and salute her first. I am unhappy. What does it matter; if she has guided him and inspired him to perform some spiritual austerities in the last moments of his life ? I am really Gurudev". If I were that Sadhu, I might have said so. Now-a-days, there has appeared a lot of controversy about this point. Suppose I have some selfish motive when you approach me; or I want to make you my devotees; or I want to make you my disciples; in that case what would I do? I would inspire in you hatred for the person from whom you have attained pure dharma. Only if you do not like him and if you do not respect him, you would like to respect me. But there can be no greater sin than hating one's benefactor but even those people who
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