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THE WAY OF LIFE
angry or irritable. They develop the habit of volunteering their opinions on every matter. Children may not like this; and so they too may get angry and may begin to ill-treat their parents.
You must also think and realize that even a person's condition can cause helplessness. How far is it proper to slight and treat parents with contempt when they are in old age or sickness? When you grow old, if your nature also gets upset, what will you do? You must bear with the angry and irritable nature of your parents and your spiritual heads with patience and equanimity. This is a very important spiritual austerity.
Always speak to your parents with love, humility and tenderness. Carry out your domestic activities after consulting them; and carry out your spiritual activities also according to their suggestions. Of course, parents also must understand the situation. If there is no great harm or loss accruing from a certain action they must give their consent at once. They should not keep hesitating. Sometimes they have to be silent. Seriousness, generosity, patience and abounding affection - these four lofty virtues must be present in parents. Only then their children will find it easy to do their duties towards them.
THE THIRD MAIN DUTY
If you get any excellent article, you must give it to your parents first. You should not conceal anything from your parents. The parents also should possess the quality of generosity by virtue of which they will return those articles to their children affectionately as presentations to them. “Dear children, you need these articles. We do not need them; you use them". They should say this and give the articles to you.
If parents happen to get some excellent articles, they will give them to their children. They should be given to the young ones in the family. To Rajagrihi, that merchant came from Nepal with sixteen expensive and embroidered woollen blankets to be sold. The emperor of Magadha, Shrenik could not afford to buy a single blanket because of the forbidding prices. The
merchant was returning from the palace disappointed. At that Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only
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