Purity of mind is the ultimate journey

All living beings have been navigating this world since time immemorial. The question arises whether these travels should be termed a journey or a wandering? If it is a journey, the traveller would surely have reached his destination long ago. But no, it is not a journey, it is just a wandering. These beings have been wandering in deserts, in uninhabited forests, and in stormy conditions. With eyes full of dust, disorientated, sometimes running two steps this way, two steps that way, how will the destination ever be reached?

Bhagwan Mahavir had said that one should do good deeds, ignite the lamp of good deeds and instil faith in good deeds. Whenever there is darkness in your mind, light this lamp of faith and moving forward with this light, then you will reach your goal. Truly the goal is not far away. With every breath the goal comes closer, but when and how? When you move forward with a vibrant mind filled with a joyous intention of doing good deeds, only then will take a step forward and progress towards your goal.

If someone sits on the seashore and keeps searching with his hands, he will only find conch shells and not pearls. But when someone dives into the depths of the ocean, he finds pearls. To clasp a precious stone (Muktamani) one has to dive into the depths of the ocean.

That ocean is the ocean of good deeds and faith is its depth. Emboldened with the strength of faith, we must continuous dive deeply in good deeds. Only good deeds done with a smiling heart are fruitful. If undertaken with a crying heart, being forced to do it, then success will not be achieved. If you pose for a photo with a sad face, where there is not even a faint trace of a smile, will the photo ever be attractive? The grandeur and beauty of the photo lies in the smile on the face.

Why are our attempts at doing good deeds not yielding beautiful results? Every person feels that their photo has turned out blurred and dark and is not pleasing to the eye. What is the reason for this? Mahavir says that the good deeds must have been undertaken with a sad face. No matter how immense your good deeds, if your mind is not altruistic, if you are sad rather than happy, then the photographic imprint created by the action will definitely be black and blurry. A good deed done half-heartedly is never completely fruitful.

Therefore, Bhagwan Mahavir says that foremost the preparation of the mind is needed, then everything else will follow automatically. Sometimes it is understandable that, due to circumstances, some may donate more, some may donate less; some may be able to devote more time than others in acts of service and worship; and some people can handle long penances but for others the body may not be so strong. Yet every person can become prosperous with the infinite power of the mind. If you do good deeds wholeheartedly, even if the external resources used are small, the deeds still become great. The vastness and generosity of the mind can make even the smallest resources yield wonderful results. External things have no value, feelings and intentions have value.

In the era of Mahavir, we have two events which occurred in Rajgraha. One encounter is that of Shalibhadra, the other is Mamman Sheth. Both lived at the time of Emperor Shrenik.

Mamman Seth had been born in a poor, fate-stricken family in his previous life. He was left penniless and alone after his family members died and it was difficult for him even to feed himself. He would go to the village, wander around, sell whatever he could to survive. This was how he made his living.

Once it happened that there was a celebration at Nagar Seth's home. Everyone in the whole village were given a ladoo, including Mamman Seth. He told himself that he will not eat it on that day but wait until the next day. He carried the ladoo around with him the next day whilst he was hawking from village to village, house to house. At mid-day, he went outside the village to the nearby pond and sitting under the shade of a tree opened his bag containing food. At the very same time a sage descended from the mountain towards the village. In no time at all, the sage arrived very close to him. Mamman Sheth got up, bowed and addressed the sage, ‘Gurudev! Whenever I have come to the village, I have seen you from a distance meditating in a mountain cave. Today you have come, give me the benefit of well-deserved charity.’

The sage contemplated on the man’s circumstances but concluded that, despite his poverty, his charitable spirit should be respected. He was invited to take the whole ladoo but the sage only took a small portion. The sage then proceeded towards the village to continue to beg and Mamman Seth sat down to eat. He really liked the taste of the ladoo. On completing the last morsel of the ladoo, wrongful thoughts started emerging. He thought to himself, ‘I wish I had not given the ladoo to the sage as he would have surely got all the alms he needed down in the village. It would have been so pleasurable to eat the entire ladoo. Now who knows when I will receive such delicious ladoos again.’ In this way the continuous stream of inauspicious thoughts started flowing. He kept turning the stream of emotions, which hitherto had been as pure as the Ganga River, into the waters of a dirty drain. And his good deeds became murkier and murkier as negativity invaded his inner core. Thus, he continued to live a negative life. One day he died and was reborn in a noble family. Despite being the owner of assets worth ninety-nine crores, he lived a life of poverty. He had acquired immense wealth because of his act of generosity to the sage but he was not now able to utilise it. The food he ate was like the scraps eaten by a beggar and the clothes he wore were old and worn. He could not enjoy even a moment of opulence, nor could he offer any comfort and support to others.

Emperor Shrenik asked Bhagwan Mahavir, ‘Bhagwan, why is Mamman Seth so pitiful even though he has so much wealth? Leave aside giving to others, he is a miser towards his own needs. He does not eat, nor does he allow others to eat. Why is it like this?’ Mahavir Bhagwan, relaying Mamman Sheth’s past life, went on to explain that the result of this repentance for his charity has been that his huge wealth is now responsible for taking him to hell.

The second story is that of Shalibhadra. Bhagwan Mahavir also depicted the incident of Shalibhadra’s previous birth when he was the son of a poor mother. His mother had seen nothing but suffering, pain, and poverty. One day, while playing with the children, he heard that all the children had eaten kheer. He ran home and clutching hold of his mother's attire said,’ Mother! Today I will also eat kheer. Today is a festival day and all the children have eaten kheer. Mother! Give me kheer.’

The mother burst into tears wondering where she could get kheer. When she could not even afford two meals a day, kheer was just a dream for her. Neighbours came to check what was happening as Shalibhadra’s mother had not come to do the dishes that day. They saw that both mother and son were crying. The son was wiping tears of his mother, the mother was caressing her son. These sensitive neighbours collected the necessary ingredients and gave these to the mother with great love and said, ‘Make kheer and feed it to this lovely boy. He will also eat kheer today.’

The child was dancing and jumping with joy, it seemed as if not only his hut but the whole world had become infused with the fragrance of kheer. When the mother served kheer on a plate, the boy started clapping with joy. After serving the kheer, she went to complete her pending work. Feeling happy he said, ‘Now I will eat the kheer.’ At this moment of happiness, he saw a sage coming whom he used to see many times standing meditating in the cave of Vipulachala while going to graze the cows. Seeing him, Shalibhadra jumped up, approached the sage, bowed down and with great joy, said, ‘Guru! Come! Today mother has made kheer. Come and break your fast.’ The sage sensed Shalibhadra’s pure feelings and at the same time saw the poverty prevailing everywhere outside. The sage reflected, ‘How can I refuse him?’ He told Shalibhadra, ‘Just give a little bit.’ Shalibhadra with the noblest of intentions, picked up the plate of kheer and poured all of it into the sage’s bowl. The sage, keeping the child’s happy feelings in his heart, continued ahead on his way and Shalibhadra tasted the kheer which was stuck on the sides of the plate with great pleasure.

His mother came back and asked Shalibhadra, ‘Have you finished the kheer? He quickly replied, ‘Yes mother, I ate it all.’ His joy could not be contained. The joy of giving was making him happy and even after giving there was as much joy as that which existed at the time of giving.

Both Mamman Seth and Shalibhadra were poor in their previous lives, both had given charity to the sage, both had given sweet food, both the sages were deserving and had been fasting. But one beggar remained a beggar because he had given half-heartedly. He acquired wealth as a fruit of his act but he could not use that wealth either for himself, or for his family, or for the benefit of society. His auspicious charity did not move towards light and he fell into the dark pit of hell. This is because his good deed was not accompanied with an auspicious mind. There was no complete happiness of mind.

When good deeds are done with a smiling heart then souls like Shalibhadra take birth. The story of Shalibhadra is a source of inspiration. Bhagwan Mahavir said, 'Do good deeds wholeheartedly. The mind should be happy before doing any good deeds, whilst doing good deeds, and not repent after doing good deeds. Do not make the mind dirty, otherwise the nectar becomes poison, the wishing trees gets burnt to ashes and then souls like Mamman Seth are born.’