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THE WAY OF LIFE
worthy of worship. The lofty feeling of love appears only when they carry out their respective duties.
If Aryarakshit had said to his mother : "If your desire is that I should study Drishtivad then why did you agree to my going to Pataliputra ? In the very beginning if you had told me that I should not go to Pataliputra and that I should learn Drishtivad from a Jain Acharya, I would have done so. Now, you are telling me to study Drishtivad. I have become a scholar; and now I do not want to study that Shastra”. If he had said So, would we have got such a great giver of light as Aryarakshitsoori? Would he have attained spiritual elevation ?
WHY DO NOT CHILDREN ACT ACCORDING TO THE ADVICE OF THEIR PARENTS NOW-A-DAYS ?
If Rudrasoma had insisted upon her son's doing his duty, in the beginning, he might not have accepted her advice. Would he have listened to her words? He would not have listened to her advice. Is that not so? Why do not your children listen to your advice ? Have you thought of this at any time? If you have thought about it you would have thought thus. “Our sons and daughters are spoilt". Why are they spoilt ? Do you realize your fault? Do you know how to make your children cultured ? If you keep dinning into the ears of your children your precepts, they will get bored. You should know the art of inspiring your children to do their duties properly. You must know the art of speaking to them impressively and in a suave manner.
Mothers should be like Rudrasoma. She always spoke very sweetly. She was a woman of a few words. She was reticent. She was the embodiment of affection. Affection flowed from her heart like a river. Cannot the mothers of to-day be like that? Cannot those women who can perform spiritual austerities; who can do deeds of charity; who worship the Paramatma and who listen to discourses become reticent and soft-spoken like Rudrasoma ? Cannot they develop the art of speaking sweetly and agreeably? Cannot they develop the quality of tolerance ? Cannot they develop the virtue of dignity ?
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