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THE WAY OF LIFE
bestowed upon me great happiness". He felt profoundly grateful to his Gurudev.
HE ALWAYS STOOD BY HIS VOWS
Vankachul became the commander of the army; yet he continued to observe his vows with unflinching determination. His faith in Dharma grew stronger. One day, even the fourth test had to be faced by him. In a certain battle, he achieved a great victory but his body was covered with wounds and injuries. The doctors who were treating him, said, “Dear Commander ! Now, you have to eat the flesh of crows ; otherwise, your wounds will not heal and close up, and you run the risk of dying".
Vankachul refused to eat the flesh of crows. “It does not matter even if I die but I will not eat the flesh of crows". Vankachul did not eat that flesh. He died; but he died in a state of absolute mental and emotional serenity and equanimity. After his death, he was born as a god in the heavenly world.
Of course, Vankachul did not perform any special spiritual austerities in his life; but we find that he observed many ordinary principles in his life. What a lofty level of purification would his soul have attained if in addition to observing the ordinary principles, he had also carried out some special austerities!
THE ORDINARY PRINCIPLES THEMSELVES ARE EXTRAORDINARY
The householder who practises the ordinary principles attains unobjectionable and unreproved happiness. That means he will attain the punyanubandhipunya by practising the ordinary principles. The happiness that emerges from that kind of punya, is unobjectionable and unreproved.
He will get such a happiness as will not be condemned by anyone. Nobody will feel jealous of such happiness. That happi. ness is such that man will not become attached to it. He will get such happiness as will not produce sinful propensities in him.
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