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THE WAY OF LIFE
From the Audience: There are two different attitudes : seeing defects where defects actually exist; and seeing defects where they do not exist. Do both these attitudes amount to calumniation ?
Maharajashri : Yes. Both amount to calumniation. Accusing others of faults when they are free from faults is a very serious kind of calumniation. A man may have faults in his character; but nobody knows them except you. In that case, if you give publicity to them, it is calumniation. Even condemning well-known faults is a kind of calumniation.
What do you gain by calumniating others? Have you been able to cause the fall of anyone by calumniating him ? You have an illusion that you can ruin someone by calumniating him. You cannot ruin anyone. A man is ruined only when his sinful Karma shows its effect. When his sinful Karma arises to the surface, he will be ruined automatically. In fact, if you calumniate others, you yourself will be ruined. Those who hear their friends calumniating others will say later, "That friend has the habit of calumniating others. Whenever he speaks, he keeps condemning others”. Therefore, realize that by means of calumniation, you cannot cause loss to anyone. In fact, you incur loss by calumniating others. Your own individuality will suffer.
CALUMNIATION IS THE ROOT OF DOMESTICI UNHAPPINESS
Why do bitterness and mutual hatred appear in families ? One of the many reasons for this is the tendency of the members of the family to calumniate one another. When the father himself calumniates his son, how can the son have any love for his father ? Bitterness and hatred will arise between them. When there arises some misunderstanding between the son and the father, and when the father happens to quarrel with his son, the father begins to speak aloud of his son's secret defects or weaknesses and the son will certainly hate his father in such a case. Hatred makes man mad. Will not the son also give publicity
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