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DISCOURSE 66
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and beneficiaries must be grateful to their benefactors. Benefactors must not expect any return for their benefactions and the beneficiaries must be full of the desire to repay the debt of gratitude to their benefactors. The grihasthadharma is a relative one. A grihastha cannot carry out his dharma (duty) without expecting any result. The father and the mother bestow benefactions on their children with some expectation; don't they ? Sons and daughters repay their debt of gratitude to their parents with some respect. This is relativity in respect of expectations but benefactors should not expect anything from their beneficiaries. They should have the feeling that it is their duty to be benefactors. They should have the feeling that they have to carry out the commands of the Jin.
We should not forget benefactions that have been bestowed upon us by anyone; nor should we forget those benefactors. We should never think thus: "What benefactions have our parents bestowed upon us ? Whatever they have done for us they have done it because it was their duty. We never asked them to do anything for us". If children think so, it will bring about great harm. Even if some people do something for us as a matter of duty, it has its great value. We should appreciate such benefactions. It is likely that parents may not be able to fulfil all the desires of their children. In such a case, children should try to understand the situation of their parents. They should not get angry or indignant with them. They should not be impolite towards them. They should not wound the feelings of their parents with harsh words. It is a great sin to wound the hearts of those who have bestowed benefactions upon us. Children should be careful regarding their duties and they should carry out their duties with a feeling of devotion.
Aryarakshit was a muni. He was an ascetic and he was a great man who had discarded all attachments but on hearing the message sent by his mother, he began to recollect the great benefactions, his mother had bestowed upon him. Of course, he was carrying out his spiritual studies. Throughout the day and night he was carrying out studies with a calm and serene mind but again and again his mother's message created agitation and perturbation. At that time, he was studying the tenth
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