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DISCOURSE 38
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to pervade every moment and every breath of your life. The Samanyadharma is to be lived and practised, not for mere observance or performance. Now-a-days, man is prepared to practise Dharma.
Man is ready to render help to others and to make donations but he is not prepared to give up his dishonest occupations. He is ready to perform the Samayik; (an austerity) but he is not ready to discard his anger, indignation, malice and animosity. He is ready to worship the Paramatma but he is not ready to carry out the sacred commands of the Paramatma. He is prepared to carry out Prathikraman (atonement for sins) but he is not prepared to discard his sinful actions and propensities.
NEVER NEGLECT THE ORDINARY PRINCIPLES OF THE GRIHASTHADHARMA
The ordinary principles of the Grihasthadharma are to be practised in your day-to-day life. If you understand the various principles of the ordinary Grihasthadharma and if you endeavour to live according to them, you will certainly experience the boundless efficacy of Dharma in your life. But the misfortune is that you want to live sinfully and carry out spiritual activities at the same time. You like to live a sinful life and at the same time, you desire to carry out some spiritual activity. Even those spiritual activities you perform because you do not want to face and experience the bitter fruits of sins; but the performance of those special austerities will not save you from spiritual decline and ruin. Those who perform some austerities of the extraordinary Grihasthadharma, neglecting the ordinary Dharma cannot save themselves from spiritual ruin. We do not come across such an example in any Shastra. It will be useful to you if you can think of this point deeply and seriously. If you merely listen to me and go away, no transformation will take place in your life. Give importance to honesty, morality and legal uprightness in your endeavours to acquire wealth. In your endeavour to fulfil your physical desires (Kama) give importance to the parities of birth, lineage, family-traditions, purity, financial status, dress and language and choose a proper woman for your life. Do not indulge in unnecessary specious
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