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THE WAY OF LIFE
Maharajashri : That is what I too say. You are prepared to associate with any kind of man if you can get money from that contact. You are prepared to associate with any kind of person if you can get some pleasures and enjoyments from that contact. You do not care to think of vices and virtues; do you? "I should not lose my virtues; I should acquire new merits". Do you ever think on these lines ? "I should not acquire new vices and I should get rid of my vices”. Do you ever think thus?
SCRUTINIZE YOUR VICES AND DISCARD THEM
You can realize the value and greatness of this fifteenth ordinary principle only if you have placed before yourselves these two ideals; namely: (1) reducing and discarding vices; and (2) increasing virtues.
The fruitfulness of human life depends on these two lofty ideals. You can attain spiritual purification only when you destroy your vices and increase your virtues. Your life can become felicitous and sacred only when you discard your vices and increase your virtues. That is why I keep exhorting you to scrutinize your vices and to keep discarding them one by one. Carry out your spiritual austerities also with this objective. Carry out such spiritual activities as worshipping the Lord, studying the scriptures; acquiring knowledge, contemplating on the soul, performing Tapasya and renouncing worldly objects and pleasures. With this objective : "I must reduce and discard my vices", make this determination.
Of course, the vices that have been there in your soul from times immemorial cannot be easily and quickly discarded, but you must always make strong endeavours to discard them. You have to make endeavours for a long time. Deep-rooted vices cannot be discarded with ordinary efforts made over short periods. Let alone deep-seated defects existing for a long time, even the defects or vices acquired in this life cannot be discarded easily and within a short time. You have to endeavour for a long time even to discard the vices acquired during this life. For instance, one may develop the habit of eating prohi
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