Book Title: Jainism The Cosmic Vision
Author(s): Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: UK Mahavir Foundation London

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Page 101
________________ Jainism : The Cosmic Vision routine in life, but it is inconsequential. Forgiveness for show is a vanity. Some say that absence of anger is forgiveness. To grow angry first and then to ask forgiveness is not forgiveness. Bhagwan Mahavira compares anger to a flaming fire. In the Puranas, anger is said to be the gateway to hell. In the Koran, anger is said to be Satan's son. In the Bible, anger is said to be a volcano burning every man to ashes. Anger expresses itself in four stages. In the first stage, a person senior in respect of age, status or wealth grows angry with a junior person. A mother-in-law grows angry with the daughter-in-law, a guru grows angry with his disciple and father grows angry with his son. For a slight reason they grow angry. The second stage is that of suffocation. When a person is unable to express his anger openly, he becomes mentally upset and seeks an opportunity for retaliation. The third stage is that of weeping. This is a helpless condition of anger, when feelings of anger cannot be expressed or contained, person bursts into tears. The fourth stage of anger is excessive tranquillity and it is found in gentlemen and great men. They transform anger into tranquility. They do not wish to retaliate. Anger is Like Fire Anger is said to be blind. It means that anger destroys itself. Chandakaushik, the snake, was an ascetic in his previous birth. He grew angry with children who had completely destroyed his garden. So with an axe in hand he ran to strike them. But he came upon a ditch. Kaushika, the ascetic, did not see the ditch, and the axe in his hand recoiled on him and killed him. A similar incident happened during Bhagwan Mahavira's period of penance. He came to the rich city of Vaishali. For meditation he selected a blacksmith's desolate low-roofed 84 Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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