________________
274
THE WAY OF LIFE
gence acquired by means of politeness can carry out the following activities. 1. He can achieve success in carrying out even the most
difficult tasks. 2. He will carry out, with unflinching ability, his endeav
ours relating to Dharma, Artha and Kama. 3. He will make his present life and his life in the other
world fruitful and blissful. Polite and humble pupils comprehend the scriptures in the right manner. Immoral and intellectually inert pupils cannot comprehend the shastras correctly.
IT IS NECESSARY TO ACQUIRE DEEP KNOWLEDGE
Once there was a teacher. He had two pupils. He taught them the Nimittha shastra (the shastra dealing with omens). One day, those two pupils went to the forest to fetch fuel. Having collected firewood, they were returning home carrying the bundles. On the way, they found a river. They drank water and then sat in the shadow of the tree to take rest for sometime. Meanwhile, a woman came there carrying a pot. She was going to the river to fetch water. She saw the two pupils and found out from their very appearance that they were scholars. She approached them and asked them politely, “Noble men! Some years ago my beloved son went away to some foreign kingdom, He has not yet returned home. Kindly tell me when he will: come back?” Even while she was saying this, her pot slipped from her hands; fell on the ground and broke to pieces. Noticing this, one pupil said, “Your son is dead”. The other pupil said, "Mother, your son has returned home. You go home and see now". The woman hurriedly went home and found to her great delight that her son had come back. She felt greatly happy. She took some money and clothes and, at once, went to those pupils. She gave them to the pupil who had made the true prediction and praised him whole-heartedly.
Then the two pupils went into the ashram of their teacher. The pupil whose statement had proved false, angrily said to
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
