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110
THE WAY OF LIFE
you have a knowledge of the terrible tortures that are to be experienced in the seven hells. If you know that you will go to jail by committing a certain offence, would you commit that offence? If you know the nature of the life in a prison you would not commit such an offence. Would those people who have knowledge of the nature of the life in hell or the nature of the life of a bird or an animal, commit such sins ?
Have you at any time thought about the vast realm of animals and birds? Have you at any time thought about the terrible agonies and the overwhelming sorrows of that state of existence? Why do you make your future state of existence sorrowful by acting in ignorance? It may be that the sorrows of human life are greater than those of animals and birds and if you want to be born as an animal or a bird, you may take recourse to unethical ways of earning money. You may practise deception and hypocrisy.
THE TRIBAL MAN FOUND FELICITY ONLY IN THE PRISON
Recently, I happened to read a story. It is an interesting story. A severe famine appeared in some parts of Orissa. The tribal people had nothing to eat; they had no clothes to wear. The women had to be half-naked. A tribal man was feeling extremely hungry. He was digging up some edible roots in a field. Meanwhile, the owner of the field came there. He caught the man; beat him severely and surrendered him to the police. The police produced him before a magistrate and he was sentenced to one month's imprisonment. He was very happy because he found a sound house to live in and enough food to eat. He had not eaten even a morsel of food for many days. He thought that the owner of the field had bestowed a benefaction upon him and he also felt grateful to the police officer who had taken him to the court.
One day, that man saw the police officer in the prison. He ran to the police officer. He fell at the feet of the police officer and expressed his gratitude to him. He said to the police officer, "Dear Sir, I would like to remain here. I do not want to go
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