Bhagwan Mahavir gave eight advices for the good of the entire mankind. The messages are :
1. Hear what you haven’t : Mahavir advises us to inculcate the habit of listening to what others have to say. One who does not listen he does not learn anything. The spoken words carry with them the valuable information and knowledge. Allow the ears to educate you in knowing what is right and what is wrong. Enrich your life with wisdom poured in by your ears.
2. Remember what you hear : Learn to remember what you hear. Only then your mind will be able to milk wisdom from the heard words. Retain what wise ones or holymen tell you to reap the benefit. You can’t collect water in a sieve. Listening and then forgetting is no good.
3. Check new misdeeds : Don’t commit new sins or new mistakes. It is easy to take precaution and keep away illness. Corruption and sinning is like a quagmire. Stay away from evil deeds and you won’t drown in the quagmire.
4. Do penance for past misdeeds : Past wrong deeds or mistakes must be repented for. The best way of repentance is to do penance for them. It will neutratlise the evil of those sins. And the genuine penance making serves as a caution against new sins. Being truly sorry for past sins is the best antidote which acts like a soul cleansing agent.
5. Spread the knowledge : Remember that knowledge is the only difference between a human being and an animal. Ignorance is the real woe. Education makes life more meaningful and truly productive. Sublime essence of education is spiritual awakening which opens the doors of the heavens. There is nothing more nobler act then spreading the education and teaching others.
6. Befriend the friendless : There are unfortunate people in this world who don’t have anyone to call their own. There are orphans or those who have lost all their near and dear ones. They badly need support, sympathy and friends. Befriend such people and help in their rehabilitation. Do every thing you can to support them physically and emotionally.
7. Serve without grudge : If you are serving someone do it without feeling grudge. There is no need to feel inferior in doing your job. And do not complain. Service rendered with ill feeling is spiritually not rewarding and emotionally not satisfying. The spirit of dedication must accompany service.
Be impartial : Inner conflict is the root of confusion. It upsets the mind and clouds vision. The conflict also breed partiality which disqualifies one to be a judge of any dispute. Partiality makes truth appear untruth and the falsehood looks like a fact. And the conflict and confusion goes on multiplying.
Who is superior?
Once a disciple asked Bhagwan Mahavir, “Lord, who is superior between a family man and a monk?”
“Self discipline is the superior-most,” Bhagwan Mahavir said and explained, “A man who has self discipline is superior irrespective of his being a monk or a family man. All the family men are not alike. So is the case with monks. Some monks carry the imprint of a family man and similarly some family men are disciplined and austere like saints.”
Another disciple asked, “What is eternal dharma?”
“Non-violence is eternal dharma.”
“Who is woeful?”
“The person himself.”
“What is the root causes of woes?”
“Laziness.”
“Who ends the woes?”
“Man himself.”
“How does he do it?”
“By giving up laziness and idling,” Bhagwan Mahavir revealed. “The laziness causes woes and it breeds fear. If one banishes laziness one won’t have any woes or suffer any fears.”
