Jain World
Sub-Categories of Passions

Ten Universal Virtues

Munishri 108 Kam Kumar Nandi
Message, Foreword, Preface
Hymn To Five Divinties
  Paryushan Parva
  Supreme Forgiveness
  Supreme Tenderness or Humility
  Supreme Uprightness or Honesty
  Supreme Contentment or Purity
  Supreme Truthfulness
  Supreme Self-Restraint
  Supreme Austerities or Penance
  Supreme Renunciation
  Supreme Non-Attachment
  Supreme Chastity
  Kshamavani Parva




On reaching the distant and new island they both set to work to arrange for means of livelihood afresh. Viney labored hard and charmed the inhabitants of the island by his 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 above mentioned forms of vanity. Therein lies the well being of a living being. All wise men say, �Humble origin is no bar to the attainment of greatness, while pride of birth is a frequent cause of humiliation.�

     To take false pride in one�s mental accomplishments is knowledge pride (Gyan Mada). In the �Mahapurana� of Acharya Jinsain at one place it is mentioned - �To take pride in knowledge is putting a veil on the knowledge.� Bharatra Hari writes:

     Yada kinchijhoham, dwip iv madandh sambhavam

     Tada      sarvagyosmitybhvdvliptam mam mana

     yada kinchit, budhjanskashadvgtam

     tada murkhosmiti, jvar iv mado me vyapgata

     I.e., When I possessed shallow knowledge, I walked puffed up with egotism like an elephant. When I came out of my home and by and by came in contact with the scholars and learned men and started acquiring more and more knowledge in their company, I began to walk like an ant. Then my pride in knowledge subsided like a fever. One who attains the real knowledge never becomes proud or vain. He walks with a bowed head and is polite to all.

     It has been said: vidya vineyam ddati

     I.e., knowledge brings humility. When a tree is overloaded with fruits, its branches bend down. Likewise a learned man bows down with humility on the acquisition of knowledge; he becomes devoid of vanity. In this context the poet Pump writes:

     �Kundkundachyanandnvne shukoham�

     I.e., I, poet Pump, am the parrot of Acharya Kundkund�s spiritual vernal wood (Nandana Vana) �Samay Saar�, etc. Therefore, having tasted their fruits in original I convey them as they are.

     Thus, the learned are polite towards the Acharyas and it is in the nature of the learned men to admire their talent and scholarship. Only such are the truly learned; they alone are gifted with the virtue of compassion (Mardava Dharma).

     To take pride in one�s fame and glory, worldly dignity is known as Dignity Pride (Puja Mada). Father�s lineage is called ancestry and Mother�s lineage is called tribe. To take pride in these comes under the category �Ancestral Pride� and �Tribe Pride�. The bodily powers are called strength. Hence to take pride in them is �Strength Pride�. The monetary achievements or the possession of household riches is known as affluence and pride in it is called �Affluence Pride�. Fasting is called penance and pride in it is known as �Penance Pride�. Taking pride in healthy and beautiful body is �body pride�. One who is aspirant for the virtue of compassion (Mardava Dharma) will have to discard all the above mentioned eight types of vanity; only then one will be capable of attaining unblemished compassion.

           Once Sukh Deva went to King Janak at Rajgrahi to receive education. On the completion of his education he expressed his desire to offer a present (Guru dakshina) to his teacher. King Janak said, �I don�t want any present. However, if you insist, offer me something seemingly without utility.� Sukh Deva set out in search of some worthless looking thing. The soil, the leaves, all things seemed to have their own utility. No material appeared to be with no utility. He began to ponder over the whole matter. He felt that pride in body alone is of no use. He said to King Janak, �I want to offer you my pride in body.� King Janak said, �Now you are blessed. People regard bodily pride the most dear to them in the world and stick to it. You found it totally worthless; he alone who gets this vision by God�s mercy is really blessed.�

     The noble minded person who is not the least proud of ancestry, beauty, tribe and clan, learning or education, penance, knowledge of scriptures and chastity is gifted with compassion or supreme tenderness (Uttama Mardava Dharma).

     Kulrujadibhudhisu tvsudsilesu garvam kinchi

     jo nrvi kuchdi samanro madvdhamm haave tsya

         He, who is not proud or vain in spite of being highly learned and a supreme ascetic, possesses the jewel of compassion or tenderness (Mardav). A person regards himself superior to others as a result of the mental outlook developed due to the extreme feeling of family pride created by karma, which is of no use; for sometimes his own vanity is shattered by his own children. It has been said:

     Dharma vasenmamsi yavdalam sa tabadhanta n hanturapi pashya gataith tasmin

     Drishta prasparhatirjankatmajanam, raksha tatosya jagta kharlu dharm ev.

     I.e., So long as this feeling of compassion or tenderness (Mardava Dharma) persists in human mind, a person does not hurt even his own persecutor; and when his mind deserts this feeling of compassion, even father and son have been seen killing each other. Hence this world can be saved only when we possess the virtue of compassion (Mardava Dharma).

     A man, failing to make a distinction between right or wrong and what is worth doing or not, is enveloped by the darkness of vanity and takes recourse to the evil path leaving the wanted right path. When good luck (Punya Karma) comes into existence, he becomes highly puffed up with pride forgetting that as an outcome of this vanity he will have to suffer disgrace in the lower state of births.

     A mad person stood in the middle of the road. A car came from behind and the car owner began to sound the horn. When the man did not budge from the road, the Seth cried, �O blind man! Can�t you see? Move aside from the middle of the road.� The mad man spoke, �O Seth! Sitting in this tin box, your car, you are filled with so much vanity. I stand on this earth which is full of precious jewels. Still I am not proud in the least. Go away keeping this tin box on your head.�