________________
262
THE WAY OF LIFE
IF FOOD, CLOTHING AND RESIDENCE ARE NOT AVAILABLE ?
The sense of responsibility is a vital factor in the life of every man. The man who can shoulder his responsibility in respect of others brings glory to his life as a grihastha and attains credit for observing the ordinary principles of grihasthadharma. First of all, you must carry out your duties towards the members of your family. You have to do many duties towards the members of your family. Of those duties, the first and foremost is taking care of them. You must provide to the members of your family enough food, enough clothing and a house to live in. You must satisfy these three basic wants of your family. You must provide these amenities to the members of your family, even by doing hard work if necessary. If you do not satisfy these basic wants of your family, the lives of the members of your family will be broken to fragments, and scattered. If the members of your family do not get enough food, enough clothing and a house to live in, the following evil consequences may come about:
(1) The members of your family may take recourse to
violence and stealing.. (2) Some may commit suicide. (3) Women may take recourse to prostitution. (4) Agitation and distress may increase in the family. (5) The members of your family may indulge in Artha
dhyan (painful contemplations) and Raudradhyan ** (evil contemplations).
When these evils enter a family, that family will be ruined.
Therefore, you must give the greatest attention to your family. The first principle to be observed is that until you get the ability to take care of your family, you should not marry. You should not allow your family to grow in numbers. In other words, there should be no increase in the number of members in your family.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
