Vain, very vain is all the show and splendour (f this world, And vain the boast of person and wealth. My only request is 'do good actions.' For there is nothing in this world thou canst call thy own; Naval says take care of every moment as it comes; And secure the means of thy final emancipation ere it is too late.* Now it is that the truth dawns upon me, That all affection for things worldly is false. Oh the fool that depends every now and then on the morrow, When not even a moment can be relied upon. For Death thy enemy is hovering on thy head; Should be taken as true without any doubt of it.'* All friendship of this world is false; Mother, father, relatives and thy own self Are not worth reliance, why dost thou depend on these ? All these are bound to thee by self-interest, Their affection for thee is not disinterested. If self-interest is at an end, none is thy relative; Think of it and weigh this in the balance of thy mind. Thou shalt depart this life alone and unfriended, Thou, even thou, to whom this advice is addressed; • From Jain Kâvya Prakâsha. None is thine and thou art nobody's, That is the old invariable course of things. Let therefore devotion to the Lord be the goal thy heart should care to reach; Dnyânasâr says 'in this song as above I sing a song of the soul!"* All action without knowledge of religion is useless, Oh Jain brothers! Try to replenish the store of knowledge and let mercy rule the heart. Take good care of the old excellent works on Jainism, Reflect glory on the name of Jain preceptors; why do you thus waste your time? Instead of erecting new temples, he who restores the old ones, Does an act of greater merit and becomes famous all over the world. If there is surplus cash in temples, let it go to the support of old ones; First improve the temples and places of pilgrimage; listen to this request. Set up schools for the imparting of religious and worldly education, So that the youth will bless you, if you feel sympathy for them. In these schools they will learn, be wise, and do good and pious actions, The Jain community will rise; so spend plenty of money in this way. Oh you all good people! give refuge to the unhappy coreligionists; From Jain Kavya Prakâsha, Open funds for the helpless Jains and contribute liberally thereto. Pay attention to the admonitions given on this point by saints and sages; The Jain Bâl Subodhak Sabhâ prays "May Mahâvîra grant success. To seek the greatest good of our people; to revive the pristine purity of our holy Jain religion; to preserve and guard our sacred books and our sacred places of worship; to sink deeper the foundations of our religion by encouraging and stimulating the observance of its sacred precepts;-in a word to advance the well-being of our brethren in this world and in the world to come and thus to realise the grand ideal of humanity-these are our aims and objects. Union is a mighty power in the world; all history shows that by union and co-operation alone great undertakings can be accomplished. Therefore I would most earnestly urge you, dear brethren, to work together heart and soul, united and knit together in the common bond of brotherly love. Thus only will you be able to do great and real good to your generation and to the generations to come of your coreligionists. --SHETH VEERCHAND DEEPCHAND, • By The Jain Bâl Subodhak Sabhá. 82. JEALOUSY. O, beware, my Lord, of jealousy ; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on. -SHAKESPEAre. But jealous souls will not be answer'd so; -SHAKESPEARE. Trifles, light as air, Are to the jealous, confirmations strong, As proofs of Holy Writ. -SHAKESPEARE. But through the heart Should jealousy its venom once diffuse, Corroding every thought, and blasting all Love's paradise. -THOMSON. Of all the passions, jealousy is that which exacts the hardest service, and pays the bitterest wages. Its service is--to watch the success of our enemy,— its wages-to be sure of it. -COLTON. |