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THE WAY OF LIFE
austerities could fall thus, what about people like you? What would happen in your case? You do not have the excellence achieved by Tapas; you do not have such attainments as selfsacrifice and renunciation, and what would happen to you on account of jealousy? Therefore, I exhort you to discard jealousy. Love dispels jealousy. Every day cultivate the quality of love the ability to experience felicity at the sight of the felicity of others. Never feel jealous of those who are virtuous or happy. At least, do not be jealous of your friends and close relatives and do not deprecate them. Now-a-days, brothers feel jealous of each other. The mother-in-law feels jealous of the daughter-in-law and the daughter-in-law feels jealous of her mother-in-law. The father feels jealous of his son and the son feels jealous of his father. Yes, jealousy has entered even the sphere of the life of mendicants. When that is so why speak of Samsar? Jealousy appears between the guru and the disciple, each feeling jealous of the other. Sadhus feel jealous of each other and so a terrible disorder has appeared on account of jealousy. How can there be dharma in a heart that is filled with jealousy? Dharma cannot exist in an impure heart.
Do not envy the materialistic or spiritual happiness of others. If others have greater physical enjoyments than you have or greater spiritual felicity than you have, look upon them with respect and regard. You may feel jealous of them if you can get their happiness. You cannot get the happiness of others. On the contrary, you will lose your own external and internal happiness.
THE SADHU GOES TO NEPAL
The Sadhu of the lion's cave began to burn with jealousy because Sthulabhadra was praised, more than he. Ignoring his Gurudev's advice, he went to the house of the prostitude and from there he set off to Nepal travelling on foot in the rainy season. On seeing Kosha, the muni forgot that he had gone there to spend the four months of the rainy season in her house and he was eagerly seeking the happiness of her company. He went
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