01.EVIL HABITS - REAL ENEMIES OF MANKIND

EVIL HABITS - REAL ENEMIES OF MANKIND
The whole world with all its mudane souls gets new lease of life, with the rise of the infant sun in the east. The absence of sun rays virtually stops all activities of the living beings and a sort of motionless ness overpowers them; whereas the appearence of rays of morning sun destroys that drowsiness and inspires them to idenitiiy themselves with those rays and make them to be active as those rays are.

Consequently all living beings of the world with the advent of morning sun begin their duties and proceed forward. Some of them are “Haves” and the rest are “Have - nots”. Now let us see the story of a wood cutter. One fine morning, one innocent, illiterate and poor villager - a wood cutter gets up rubbing his eyes, leaves his house to the forest for collecting some wood inorder to buy some bread to satisfy his hunger. Unfortunately the poor wood cutter misses the way,remains confused and wandering for some time. This increases his hunger further. Then he starts searching for some trees with fruits.. Soon he finds a tree which is loaded with beautiful red fruits. The wood cutter hurriedly and eagerly plucks some of them and eats them quickly and indiscreetly. As those fruits were poisonous the wood cutter dies immediately.

The problem of the world is also similar to that of the unfortunate wood cutter. Human beings are blindly running without knowing specific direction because of a strong urge for sensual pleasures and due to the constantly growing attraction of evil-habits and various addictions; such is the present day style of life prevailing every where. These evil habits otherwise called“Vyasanas” have grown to dangerous proportions that man has been enslaved by them. Consequently such enslaved man is forced to stay in the bottomless pit of remorsefulness: having suffered irrepairable damage to his present life and brings the same to his future life also.Those who are free from all sorts of evil habits or addictions and keep the evil-habits at a longdistance are really blessed.

The mundane souls are innocent in the beginning, but the knots of various evil habits and passions in them grow and gain strength with the advancement of age. The company of mean and degenerate undesirable persons makes them shameless and they don't heed to the public criticism or slander ie. “Loka ninda" for such bad association. They commence their bad activities fearlessly without any shame and go on indulging in despicable misconduct. They start taking interest in books which justify and promote such tendencies. All this creates in them a strong desire to see such things happend and then he himself involves and imitates or translates them into action. Thus, if a man who started his career as an innocent infant gets addicted, he falls a prey to evil habits because of evil company. Man may rise and man may fall in accordance with the company he keeps and the environment he lives in. He can touch the high peak of good conduct in case he keeps good company; on the contrary, he can go to hell and suffer untold agonies, in case he is entrapped in the slush of bad comany.

Now we shall discuss and throw some light on the causes and effects of these evil habits with reference to some Indian religious thoughts and literature on this point. This is being done with a view to draw the attention of all people towards the disastrous consequences of these evil habits and to warn them in time.

The word "Vvasan" connotes calamity or destruction. Wrong actions, accepted as hobbies, curiosities or gaities, in the initial stage become permanent evil habits or addictions / "Vyasanas" of life after some time, because habit has been said to be the second nature. They destroy one's freedom of life. Today. India is a free and independent nation but in oneway its freedon is incomplete, and to some extent it is still not free and it is enslaved due to its moral degradation. Today.

human conduct is mainly controlled by evil habits/“Vyasanas”. Hence, how can he be treated as free? Jaina Scriptures do not give cognizance of political freedom alone. According to Jaina Scriptures, he and he alone is free and independent, who has defeated or conquered his passions and realised his inner strength (i.e. the might of his soul). Lord Mahavira preaches that kind freedom or liberty which destroys passions inclusive of all evil habits, which perfumes human culture with the fragrance of good moral conduct. Good moral conduct is the best gift of man; it is the source of peace and joy. The lives of men subjected to evil habits and strong addictions are full of miseries and agonies. Evil habits keep the person fully engaged in purposeless action so that he does not get time to rest not even for a moment. Even an atom of evil habit i.e. a very negligiable amountof evil habit or part of it makes him constantly afflicted; it misleads and instigates him to commit sins or misdeeds; ultimately it subjugates him to such an extent that he finds himself incapable to abandon it, though he is fully aware of the far reaching consequences there of. On account of these evil habits or“Vyasanas” one’s religious good conduct i.e. courteous behaviour, religious performances, public dealings and all other similarvirtues are ruined.

Acharya Sri Vaadibha Simha Suri has rightly pointed out -("What person who is given to lust and sense pleasures is there who has not ruined all his virtues? Neither wisdom or learning, nor humanity nor high family traditions nor truthfulness stays with such a man) condemnation but is also attacked by many incurable diseases. A large number of persons died of fatal diseases are the victims of evil habits; even after doctors have declared them to be irrecoverable they are not able to give up those evil habits. These evil habits not only demoralise those who are so habituated but also cuase other’s demoralisation and are instrumental in creating unhealthy and obnoxious social climate in the society to which they belong. They devalue and degrade their souls. They redu9e human bodies into mere skeletons, make them hollow and saps all the vitality thereof. Evil habits are numerous and varied; there are many examples how these evil habits succeeded in subjugating many recluses, philanthropists, and learned noble persons of world fame to misery and causing their downfall. At present large number of persons are the victims or slaves of these addictions. They are deceiving hemselves there by evil habits blemish human character so deeply that it is not possible to clean its ugly spot even during the course of one’s whole life-span. What so ever learned, sacrificing, austere and prosperous such person be, he is unable to clean the stains caused by evil habits. Such evil habits curse the soul and deprives his endeavours directed towards self purification. Jaina scriptures denounce these evil habits by calling them as “great sins" (Mahapaapa). Ordinary sins are limited, where as “great sins" are unlimited and unending. Hence, it is verymuch necessary to abandon such “Great Sins" outright immediately. (Gambling, Drinking Liquor, Meat eating. Prostitution. Stealing, Hunting and Sexual intercourse with women other than this wife or adultery are seven great sins / evil-habits / “Vyasanas", which wise-men must abandon). (AcharyaVasunandi) Gambling: (1) Playing with dice etc. with stake of movable and immovable property is called gambling. It means and includes playing with cards, chess, dice etc. in the afore mentioned manner; Gambling is first among the seven evil habits; it is the chief of all wrongdoings (“Anarthas” / Misdeeds); it is the resort ofdeceit and the main centre of stealing and false-hood. (2) Gambling is accompanied by evils such as violence, false speaking, greed, deceit etc. These faults constantly grow stronger and stronger. Just as a mundane soul deviates from the path of good conduct and ruins itself by taking recourse to prostitution or indulging in sexual intercourse with other's women, similarity a gambler himself invites various calamities and gets seized by them. (3) A gambler is intensly subjected to all thefour passions such as anger, pride, deceit and greed on account of which he commits great sins. (4) Persons blinded by gambling ignore their friends and disregard their parents and teachers. They behave arbitrarily and do things which they should not. (5) When a gambler is arrested, his parents and brothers etc. disown him and plead complete ignorance about his what abouts.
 * Such a person becomes the abode of innumerable faults on account of which he is not only subjected to public distrust and public

(6) After seeing him they direct him to be taken away ^fhe matter does not end here. His mother-in-law starts hating him and his wife shunning him, the gambler does not find his supporter in spite of constant search and repeated requests. He gets no pleasure except his down fall due to gambling. (7) The dices are like the iron hooks with which elephants are controlled by their riders; they afflict gamblers by uprooting their lives and harassing their family memebrs. Gambling oppresses and controls the gambler just as a whip oppresses and chase the cattle, horse and other animals. The gambler distributes his profits among his sons, who rejoin him. But after a lapse of some time, it kills him like a sword coated with honey. (8) Although the dices are thrown over “Aksha-patta” spread over the ground, it is actually played on the hearts of gamblers. Thes dices have no hands but they overpower those who have hands. These dices are like burning embers despite their apparent coolness because they have the capacity to reduce the hearts of gamblers to ashes. (9) This evil habit directly destroys religious good conduct igambling is the path that leads to hell, a meeting ground of all evils; the root ofthe tree of infamy; the bank ofthe rivers of calamities; and the deadly enemy of fine intellect. Hence, oppose and renounce gambling for ever. (10) A gamblers becomes shameless in his country, among his near and dear, as well as in foreign lands. He ceases to be trusted even by his mother. (11) A gambler takes false oaths, tells lies, speaks harsh words, and maddened by anger he starts beating his mother, sisters and sons.( 12) A blind man can not see for want of his eyes, but he is able to know with the help of his other sense-organs ;on the contraryt a gambler does not see or know, although all his sense organs are in good order. (13)

Fire, poison, thief and snake are said to be the causes of trouble but they do not cause trouble as much as gambling does. A gambler is always worried, he neigther takes his meals properly nor sleeps peacefully either by day or by night (14) Although fire, poison .theft and snake cause harm they do not harm or cause trouble as much as gambling because gambling brings troubles and harms to gamblers in thousands and hundreds of thousand of ways. (15)

Meat-eating Meat can not be produced without slaughtering animals. Hence, meat eaters necessarily, as a rule commit violence (18) .In case of eating the meat of dead buffaloes, etc. also the meat eater commits vio4lence and kills innumerable germs such as bacteria which dependent on dead body of the animal for their survival (19). Meat,whether it is raw or cooked or half cooked initiates the growth of infinite living beings (Jiva) of a paticular category, ie. meat of a par- Yl}y> ^^ ticular animal or a bird supportsthe life of a specific category of living beings (20), which grow, reproduce and die there. Hence, those who eat and touch such meat either raw or cooked are guilty of killing multitudes of millions of such living-beings. (21) Meat is an impure substance i.e. it is similar to excreta. It is full of minute bacteria and other germs; and it is as obnoxious and disgusting ("Bibhatsa") as human excreta. Not only its touch but its sight also defiles and is sinful. How can then meat become worthy of eating? Cruel persons who kill these dumb and innocent animals, relentlessly eat their meat and sell them. They consider such activities as justified and encourage such killing and selling of animals;they consider meat eating as cultured act; such people definitely go to lower grades of life. It has been well said that the sinful living beings go on wandering in samsara. They may stay anywhere, but they can not get real and permanent happiness. (23) Acharya Uma Swami has corroborated the same thing. According to him all who slaughter living beings for meat eating, who give or sell living beings for this purpose, who cook meat, who eat meat, who support meat eating, and who deal in the purchase and sale of meat are subjected to the miseries of lower grades of life. (24) Because meat eaters are deprived of control over their senses, charity, compassion, truth, forgiveness, purity, vow fulness, good conduct, science, sense of discretion and other similar good virtues are annihilated in meateaters. (25) Hence you should be compassionate and considerate towards other livingbeings in the same manner as you are careful and cosiderate to your own children. (26) You should treat the vitalities and souls of other living beings like your own vitalities and Soul. Mean and degenerate persons, who support or justify and propagate the killings of animals etc. in the name of religion and substantiate their contentions by the authorities of scriptures are punished in hell after their death. (27) “Manu Smriti” says, “Oh human beings! those who kill animals and birds etc. suffer the agonies for as many thousands of years as the number of pores on the skin of those animals and birds killed. (28) Hinduism says, “He who distroys vitalities of animals and birds or eats meat, reduces all his religious performances, pilgrimages and other good pious activities into mere nullities. (29) Short durationof life, poverty, dependence in life, rebirth in lowly families are direct consequences of meat eating. (30) Persons who eat hateful meat leaving aside pure eatables such as ambrosial milk, butter ,ghee, fruits, dry fruits, food grains, pulses and vegetables, appear to be monsters or demons in the form of humanbeigs. (31) The Rig-Veda condemns meat eaters in strong words and says, “oh fire! bum the meat eater.'’ (32) and “oh friend! I destroy those wicked persons, who eat the meat of animals birds and other wordly creatures.” (33) Meat does not originate in grass nor in wood or stone but it is produced by killing living beings. Hence meat eating is full of evils. (34) There are cases, in which the animals etc. are killed in order to offer their meat to the ancestors for gratify them. Swami Dayanand Saraswati is of the opinion which he has advocated quite forcefully that there is no mention of meat eating in vedas. Yet those who eat meat or propagate meat eating are similar to demons only. “Durga-stotra” says “Oh Shiv! such cruel persons (“Tamasi") who kill or sacrifice animals in my name suffer in the hell for crores of “Kalpa-Kalas”. (36) “oh man! how strange is it that on one hand, we do not allow the cremation ground of the dead humans to be located near or on the periphery of the town and on the other we convert our homes into cremation grounds by killing animals etc, therein. The truth is: We convert our stomach into cremation ground”. (37).

Meat smells foul. It is acceptable to “Mlechchhas" but not to “Aryas” or respectable persons. "Aryas” ie. good respected persons do not take flesh and blood because it is not worth eating and is hateful. “Aryas” should accept only rice, barely, wheat, horsebean, ghee, oil, milk, butter ,sugarcandy and similar vegetarian items in their diet. (38) Lord Christ says “Oh my disciples! do not eat meat and kill living beings. The Gospel of the “Holy Twelves” mentions “oh my disciples! give up shedding of blood and do not thrust meat in your mouths. God is very kind and He has ordered human beings to maintain themselves with food grains and fruits which are grown on earth.” (40) God does not kill any living beings, nor does he desire to kill. “ I shall not pay heed to you, inspite of your continuous and constant praying, because your hands are stained with blood of those living beings whom you have killed. (41) oh men! give animals also their right to live.Do not convert your stomach into the burial ground by eating them”. (43)

Islam maintains that men must show kindness towards all the livings beings of the world because God (“Khuda”) has been very kind to human beings. (44) Allah does not relish flesh and blood. (45) Allah the great has no concern with the flesh and blood of sacrificial animals (46); Sikhism preaches “He who uses hemp plants the"Ganja” - “Bhanga”, meat, eggs and fish and drinks liqour. his meditation, austerities, vows, conduct, rules, etc. are all nullified. (47) The sixth Guru of sikhs namely Shri Harsen Rai preached and advocated kindness to be shown to sub-human beings. He also got opened many veterinary Hospitals, with the object of providing free treatment to animals. Shri Nanak preached that meat eating is a serious crime or greatest mistake or fault that is known by means of “Namaja". There are no demons or cruel giants other than meat eaters (48) and wine drinkers. How unjust is it to eat the meat of such animals and birds or kill them or harass them who never eat flesh. Give up meat eating with top priority for your own good.Remember this always (49). How can your heart remain pure after meat eating when a piece of cloth, if stained with blood can not remain pure? The answer is a big ‘"Never” (50). The same thinking is reflected in Zoroastrianism. According to that religion, meat eating makes human mind cruel and beastly, whereas vegetarianism keeps human mind fit, pure and good (“Satvika”). The sacred bathing in Ganga, Kedar, Prayaga, Pushkar etc. of meat eaters will not be fruitful and their knowledge, meditation, austerites, devotion, charity, offering-oblations, worship, veneration of teachers and all other religious performances are quite worth less. (51)

Scientists have declared meat eating to be highly injurious or harmful. Their well considered view is : meat expels or turns out human energy, human strength from the body through urine and stool, by unnecessary heating of the body. Vegetarians are seven times more intelligent and one and a half time physically stronger persons than non- vegetarians (52). Eggs are another form of meat: eating of egg is as faulty and wrongful as meat eating because it is also a living thing and it produces many serious ailments such as heart attack, blood-preessure ,'wounds in artries and veins, wounds and disorders of kidney,formation of liver stone etc. (53) Eggs create putrefaction (“Sadana”) in the stomach because they badly lack in vitamin C ,carbohydrates and calcium (54). After 18 months of investigation,scientists discovered that now days eggs contained 30% D.D.T. poison also (55) The main reason for the spread of cancer is the use of meat, liquor and eggs. Meat eating causes incurable diseases and it is not only a disease but also the message of death Drinking Wine- liquor Liquor or wine is prepared by causing various kinds of fruits,barley, raw sugar (“Guda”) etc. to rot ie to ferment for several days and by filtering the juice; the ferment or the juice is mixed with various scents and chemicals. Liquor, thus prepared is the ideal substance inwhich countless one-sensed and multi sensed living - beings genninate and multiply. Hence drunkards are definetely commit the sin of violence. (57); if the bacteria and other the minute living beings found in one drop of liquor are spread, they may cover all the three worlds!! Because of this drinking is a sin and violent act. Persons intoxicated by liquor spoil their present as well as future life; therefore respectable persons do not drink liquor in order to safeguard their own interests. Those who are addicted to wine must give it up. (58).Persons who abandon liquor avoid killing of millions and millions of living beings living in the liquor.The sin accompanied with lust, anger, fear, doubts and suspicions and other similar evils due to drinking never subject a non drinking person to such calamaties as in the case of the thief named Dhurlil! Whereas those who drink liquor go to lower grades of life, just like the recluse or hermit named E’Ka pada. (59) Wine drinking first of all ruins one’s intellect then it corrupts his knowledge; false knowledge creates attachment etc. as a result of which other bad tendencies and distressing birth and death are cuased. (60) Certain wicked drunkards intoxicated by wine, treat even their mothers, sisters and daughters as wives. Due to excessive intoxication they become indiscreet and completely ignore their future. (61) Liquor falselyfascinates the mind; it is the source of lower grades of life, and causes great sufferings in this world as well as in the world beyond. Hence saints always advise that one should always avoid or giveup drinking of wine, toddy etc.. (62) Liquor is the main source of delusion of the mind and it is the cause of all the troubles of the world; it produces many evils in this life as well as in the next birth. Hence good and moral persons must abandon liquor for ever. (63) Man indulges in condemnable or objectionable activities because he becomes insane or mad by drinking. Adrunk- ard undergoes infinite sufferings in his present and future lives. (64) He violates all the limits of decency or propriety of public conduct as a drunkard falls and falters or wallows in public by-lanes. Under such circumstances even dogs lick him (65). At times, he dies pathetically lying in sewerage drains. While lying in gutter he drinks dirty water and even eats excreta and gets delighted in doing so; on such occasions dogs may pass stool or urine on his face. The insane drunkard by tasting such filthy materials thinks and acclaims that the taste of wine is very sweet. (66) He starts beating his sons and sisters who do not obey or act according to his wishes; and shouts like buffoons, hurling abuses under the influence of liquor (67) .Lord Christ once said ■‘Never drink wine if you want to go to the abode of God - who is the Father of all; nor should you allow your sons and daughters to do so”. Guru Nanak taught us ‘Those who drink wine, their pilgrimage, vowfulness and religious performances lose their value”. Mahathma Gandhi said “If we are not capable to implement the programme of prohibition we are not worthy of getting independence." How relevant is this statement of Mahatma Gandhi today. Is it not a matter of shame for us that our children be educated with the help of income got by the sale of liquor?

Prostitution
Prostitutes are addressed as “Darika" '‘Veshya” Concubine, “Naga Nayika” -the heroin or common woman of the city etc. ;such prostitutes are known in the world for their deceit.. (69) A prostitute takes everything belonging to a person by various deceitfull means, knowing him to be enamoured and entrapped by her. (70)

Her love is not firm and she is not trust worthy; she may say to a person who visits her "you and you alone are my lord”; but she tells the same to all those who visit her; thus her sweet words befool all . (71) As the saying goes, the sinful prostitute eats meat, drinks wine, tell lies, becomes greedy for wealth, destroys the wealth and honour of the visitor, licks day-in and day- out the sal i va of mean and degenerate persons of crooked and deceitful mind.

Because of these bad charecters she happens to be the only hell in this world. (72) A prostitute is the stone slab of the washer man, over which the most despicable obnoxious sewage of semen and sputun of all categories of people continues to flow. A prostitute behaves like the potsherd (“Khappar” / Skull), consisting of bone in the mouth of a dog. Those who indulge in sexual intercourse or cohabit with such prostitutes not only spoil their present life but also their future one also. i.e. they go to hell after death. Persons, so given to and attached with prostitutes have suffered untold miseries as was the case of Seth Charudatta. (73) .Persons belonging to high families aswell as great valiant warriors are also entrapped by prostitutes and become her slaves. The entrapped man, mad with lust succumbs and accepts the slavery to the prostitute and bears insults. (74) The mundane soul under goes great pains in the ocean of mundane existance "samsara", on account of the sin of prostitution. Hence it should be completely abandoned from mind, speech and body. (75) Persons aspiring for the well being of theirselves. should indispensibly give up prostitution. The evils which accumulate due to meat eating and wine drinking also accumulate due to prostitution. Hence the person involved in prostitution commits the sin of prostitution as well as that of meat eating and wine drinking. (77) Prostitution forces one to go to lower grades of life; it also causes the miseries similar to those of the hell in the present birth also. (78) The house holders, "Shravakas” who have vowfully abandoned prostitution should also giveup for ever involvement in music and dance, unnecessary loitering in the company of adulterous persons, and visit to the residences of prostitutes (79).Hence prostitution must be abandoned.

Hunting
Persons who shoot and kill innocent, defenceless and fear struck deer etc. by way of hunting are the worst sinners. (80) Such persons are devoid of Righteousness as they are devoid of compassion. Compassion is the main characteristic of speaking there is no difference between hunters and lions and other beasts. Because hunters kill animals in the same way lions etc. kill other animals. Truly speaking the hunter is also an animal ie a sub-human (82). How cruel are those persons who kill innocent animals such as deer etc. who eat blades of grass and run away out of fear with blades of grass in their mouths? (83) Man undergoes endless sufferings on account of the sin ofhunting. (84) The abandonment of hunting is Ahimsa and it is included in the third “Guna Vrata”named “Anarthadanda thyaga vrata". Hunting is not included in the "Shiksha vrata” named “‘Bhogopabhoga”. It is wrong to assert that hunting gives pleasures to soul just like flower, garland, sandal wood.

Righteousness. Hence the hunter does not hunt others, he rather hunts his own attribute of Righteousness. (81) Really women,fine dresses, ornaments, food etc. and therefore hunting should not be considered as an item of enjoyment and re-enjoyment (“Bhogpabhoga”). (86) Persons involved in enjoyments and re-enjoyments can possibly abandon or renounce wilful violence (“Sankalpa - Himsa”). But it is impossible for hunters to do so. The objects of enjoyment and re-enjoyment are meant for the satisfaction or gratification of passions or desires and there is no room for any intention of violence or killing of living beings (87)whereas the hunter is full of cruel thought actions of violence in course of hunting irrespect of the fact whether he gets the object for enjoyment and re-enjoyment or not. (88) Hence hunting amounts to commiting wilful violence -“sankalpi- himsa”. It is against “Anartha-danda vratha” because one commits unnecessary violence in hunting. (89) The pleasure, a hunter derives from hunting is nothing but the wicked concentration of mind which consists of taking delight in committing violence -"Hinsanandi roudra dhyanJain scriptures maintain that such wicked concentration of mind causes the bondage of bad kannas resulting birth in the hell. Hence hunting which is the source of all sorts of pain must be given up at once. (90) Acharya Shubha Chandra while writing about hells under the chapter “SamsthanaVichaya meditation”, clearly describes that those whom we are hunting today shall kill us tomorrow. The hellish being thinks, “I killed very many innocent one sensed and many sensed beings under the evil influence of ignorance or being blinded by passions.” (91) “When I was a human being I was quite strong but they were dumb animals, weak and infirm as hares and rabbits . I killed them there . Today they are here as strong as lions and are determined to kill me in various ways”(92); one should also abandon the practice of hunting, developing interest about hunting, shooting at targets etc. because all such things are included in hunting ; hunting is one of the main sources of pain feeling karma -“Asaatha vedaniya karma”.lt is nothing but himsa- the worst sin of all. It is against mahavratha and anuvralha. He who renounces the evil habit of hunting should not even pierce and penetrate and tear objects such as clothes, coins, wooden plate, stones etc. which contain the replicas or imprints of animals, as this is condemned by scriptures aswell by the learned also (94).

Oh! Bhavyas! hunting must be abandoned at once.
Stealing (Theft)

Taking or accepting any thing which is not given by its rightful owner is called theft or stealing. Taking or accepting through some one anything without the consent of the rightful owner also amounts to theft. Taking anything which is kept secretly or openly by its owner, which is lying unclaimed, which has been lost or which has been pledged is nothing but theft; neither doing so nor accepting the stolen thing from others also constitute the partial vow of non stealing called "achourya vrata” (97) .Taking the property of others which is kept in the agricultural field, village, forest, lane or by lane, house rubbish, store-room, cow-shed etc. or which is lying unclaimed or which has been forgotton by some body amounts to stealing. Hence one should not take such propertyin a clandestine manner (98). The thief’s body trembles out of fear at the time of stealing . He leaves his house, wanders on wrong path and becomes distressed. (99) The thief runs here and there in order to steal, with his heart beating intensely with fear; he tries to hide himself and avoids being seen in that state. He becomes sleepless (100). The thief with restless mind continues tobe awakened day-in and day-out, for fear of being caught and beaten. He always remains restless. (101) Just as a deer is fearful every moment in the forest because of the fear of being attacked and killed by powerful lion the mind of a thief does not get rest either in the presence of people at large or in solitary place such as a forest or a dialapated house where he is hiding .(102) Kotwal or the police arrests a thief and fastens his waist and hands with rope. (103) Then they take him to gambling dens through various lanes for inquiry; they also force him to sit on a donkey, carry him here and there and defame him as a thief. (104) Even the mother of a thief, knowing him to be a thief disowns him for fear of being involved in the offence of theft. (105) Thief’s father, brothers, sons, family members, friends, well wishers etc. desert him and do not prefer to stay with him even for a moment. They always keep themselves far away from him. (106) One’s good conduct, as a whole becomes worthless due to stealing.The sum and substance of j ustice (107) and truthfulness is: Man should impartially return all that which is due to the person or persons concerned, whether the the ownerof the property is a friend or an enemy. In case one has grabbed the wealth of others without the the knowledge of the owner or secretly and illegally accepted the property of some one through a third person, he should duly return it to the owner immediately. (108) Acharya Kumlha Kundha says in His world famous and monumental work - Thirukkural ‘‘The very thought of appropriating other people’s property by fraudelent means, is as sinful as the act itself’(Thirukkural Verse 282-Chapter29-Avoid- ance of fraud )”. if your mind prefers to go on wrong path leaving aside the right path of morality', be sure that your ruin or down fall is very much nearer. Hence never take or accept the wealth illegally or by fraudulant means and never ignore the fact that such stolen or illegally aquired wealth shall not be gainful. (109) Taking wealth of others by fraudulant means is the gateway of sins. Athief is treated as sinnest person than other types of sinners. (110) It has been rightly said that a thief is a great sinner because, the person whose wealth is stolen feels the same grief which he is subjected to by the death of his ative. (Ill) The authorities on ethics denote wealth as the eleventh vitality of a man. Therefore one who usurps or steals some body’s wealth, the thief actually takes the life of the prson who has lost the property; a person is deemed to be alive so long as his wealth which is his external vitality, is with him. A person without wealth is equal to a dead person. (112) A thief has been declared to be a bigger sinner and object of sorrows than a hunter, butcher, fisherman and a beast of the jungle. (113) Knowing all this and the miseries caused consequent to ffaudelant act, people resort to stealing other’s property. They ignore the pain of those who have lost the property. This is really strange. “OhBhavyas”! look at the importance of removing delusion. A thief immersed in mundane existance comprising four grades of life undergoes immense sufferings in lives beyond this birth. Hence stealing must be abandoned for ever. (114)

Adultery
(Sexual inilulgnece with women other than one’s own wife).

A man who nourishes a desire to win over a woman other than his wife commits sin. (115) If a lustful person-an adulterer does not succeed in getting the desired woman he is restless, takes deep breathing (“Nih-swasa”), weeps, utters angry' words and dashes his head against a wall. (116) He becomes disturbed and very much worried and utters “ whether that woman of that man I like to enjoy, loves me or not? How can I get her? Whether I should disclose this to anyone for help or not ?” He is worried about all this. (117) He gets satisfaction nowhere; even sweets become bitter to him!; does not sleep peacefully and he is always afflicated due to his dream about that woman. (118) He is unable to read the mind of other's women and even then indulges in courtship; such a person starts doing all sorts of vices including meat eating and wine drinking and gives up the thoughts of maintaining family reputations; he is not bothered about public criticism of bad behaviour. (119) When the desired women does not love h: m inspite of his cajoling, flattering he does not stop there; he begs in a humble and shameful manner. And when he does not get his desired women but condemned by her for his misbehaviour he is aggrieved and feels crest fallen and dejected. (120) If he forcefully enjoys such woman who is resisting and not agreeable, he does not experience the desired satisfaction. On the contrary he is distressed (121) Even if some adulterous woman offers herself to a person other than her husband, and even if that man who is stuck with fear, cohabits with her in some deserted house or in the ruins of some bui ldings, can he derive any pleasure out of it? The answer is- NO-None (122) Such man hides himself; falls down; runs away and trembles with fear. (123) If he is caught by some one, he is taken to the court, where he is punished severly than a thief. (124) Oh Bhavyas! think of. the mockery of delusion : The wicked persons deluded by other’s women, fully and directly knowing the evil consequences of adultery, nourish the evil desire of sexual indulgence with them. He who is adulterous undergoes endless sufferings in the ocean of mundane existance. Hence one must give up the sexual indulgence with "Parigrihita" (possessed) and "Aparigrihita” (un-possessed)- both types of women from mind, speech and body. The prudent saints have said that the dangerous consequences of sexual indulgence with other’s women are many: loss of vitality,inaction, insults in the present birth and untold agonies of hell in the next birth. (126) Sexual indulgence with anotherman’s women even once, causes destruction of nine lac sou s. (127) Secondly, the pleasure of sexual indulgence with other’s woman is similar to the pleasure got from poisonous‘"Kimpaka” fruit which is tasty at the time of eating but which becomes tasteless and painful and even fatal in the epji. (128) Thirdly when a man gets another man’s woman after great efforts and cohabits her restlessly and with fear how is it possible for him to experience any pleasure ?The answer is in the negative only. (129) A man who is living or enj oying with another’s wife can not be a purified person inspite of his bathing in the holy wasters of hundreds of pilgrim centres. (13); however purified a man he be due to his religious performance, his purity disappears, the moment he enjoys the company of other’s women (131) Hence wise persons should not think of sexual intercourse with other women (132). Just as other’s woman are never desired by persons who carefully guard their righteousness, good character and good conduct similarly man other than the husband is not desired by women who carefully guards their righteousness - god conduct and character. (133) The aforesaid seven evil habits - addictions - “vyasans” are harmful and worth abandoning by all persons, irrespective of caste, creed and colour. Hence persons who are aspirants of salvation, must necessarily abandon these evil habits by mind, speech and body at once. Then and then only they qualify themselves for climbing on the steep ascent of the path of salvation and attain their desired end- liberation from samsara. Selected stories on the disastrous consequences of Evil-Habits / Vyasanas Sources : Jain Puranas e.g. Harivamsa Purana Padma Purana (Pauma chanu). Aaradhna Khatha Kosha etc. Know Your Enemies