________________
service and good conduct. All began to show him honor and respect. On the contrary maddened with pride of wealth, the cruel hearted Maan Mal did not bring a change in his vain nature and behavior. Consequently Maan Mal received hatred and disgrace from the islanders.
Maan barahi karne jo dhan kharche murh Mar kar hathi ho gye neeche latke sund
I.e., the fools who spend money to earn honor and glory will after death be born as elephants with their trunks hanging down to the earth.
Faced with loneliness, disgrace and helplessness Maan Mal became unhappy in life. He now realized that his arrogant nature and bad conduct were the cause of his misery. Being sad and ashamed Maan Mal apologized to Viney Kumar. Pleading guilty Maan Mal pledged to follow good conduct and politeness in the future. It shows that in order to become popular and get peace and happiness in life a man should follow the rules of good conduct getting rid of egotism and vanity. It has been well said, “The heat of the sun scorches the moon, but the moon smiles sweet and sheds her cool luster to delight the world. The truly noble man bears all sorts of troubles with a smiling face, and showers peace and happiness to please mankind."
A man indulges in eight types of false pride or vanity. While stating the ways and means to attain Right Belief (Samayika Darshan), Acharya Samant Bhadra Swamy tells:
Gyanam pujam kulam jatim, balmridham tapo vapu Ashtavashritya manitvam samymahurgrtsmya
To take pride in eight things viz. knowledge, fame, ancestry, tribe, power, affluence, penance and body is known as vanity. This vanity defiles the virtues of our soul. As soon as a living being gets rid of all these eight types of vanity, he is crowned with the virtue of compassion (Mardava Dharma). The same thing has been stated in 'Bhagwati Aradhana' also:
ko ith majh mano, bahuso nichtanam pi satas uchate yanriche uchtide chavi nrichte
Adhigesu bahusu santesu mamadu aeth ko maham mano
Ko vibhyo vi bahuso pate puvammi uchate
Even if I am at a higher level in knowledge, ancestry, beauty, penance, riches and power, why to take pride in them because many times I have possessed a lower rank as well in these. A higher rank or a lower rank both are mortal, unstable and perishable. Many in this world are superior to me in knowledge and power etc., then why to be proud in them? Besides, I was granted this higher state of life many times in my previous births, then why to be veining glorious at achieving them? Knowing this we should give up the
Create PDF with PDF4U. If you wish to remove this line, please click here to purchase the full version
