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256
THE WAY OF LIFE
“We have committed a mistake. Kindly pardon us. We will not commit such a mistake again”.
Some days passed. Again on a second occasion there was some delay in their coming back from the forest. The disciples said, "Gurudev! When we were returning from the forest and coming through the city, we happened to see some actresses dancing and we stood there watching their dances. So, there has been some delay".
The Acharya was not angry with them. He knew that those sadhus were not intelligent. When he advised them not to see the performance or the dance of an actor, his advice also implied that they should not see dances performed by actresses. His idea was that they should not see the sights that provoke the passions of attachment and hatred but they did not understand its meaning. They understood only this point, “You should not see the dance of an actor. Then the Acharya gave them the necessary advice in an affectionate manner. They were polite plain and simple. So, they obeyed the advice of their Gurumaharaj. They would not have obeyed the advice of their Gurumaharaj, if they were impolite and insincere. Would they have sought the Acharya's pardon ? They would not have sought his pardon, on the contrary they would have uttered some lie. Those who are not intelligent and are not plain do not admit their mistakes so soon. They keep defending their own stand. If those disciples were not polite and plain, they would have said, "Gurudev ! When you advised us not to see the dance of an actor you should have advised us also not to see the dances of an actress. You did not give us that advice and now you find fault with us”.
Those who are not intelligent, who are intellectually inert who are not plain but who are crooked and hypocritical cannot achieve success even in the affairs of worldly life.
CROOKED INTELLIGENCE CAUSES GRIEF
Jatashankar always used to advise his haughty son : "Dear son! You must listen to the words of your father and mother.
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