When knowledge is mixed with milk, it becomes curd...When understanding is mixed with life, it becomes jewels...

- Homage to Amrit - Acharya Vijayaratnasuri

- Just like a bee clings to a beehive, so that we don't become stingy and cling to the hive of wealth, we should develop some special understanding to divert the flow of wealth towards charity and that charity also becomes a cause of welfare in the true sense.

In the last four articles we have been thinking about the five characteristics beginning with the letter 'S', today the fifth thing comes last and that is understanding. Time-Efficiency-Materials-Cohesion and Understanding: These five boons available in every person's life have certain special significance in their own way. But if we are asked which particular thing is the most important of these five? So we would definitely say that the most important specific thing is perception. Just understand this.

Suppose a skilled diamond jeweler comes across an uncut - unpolished raw diamond - the jeweler will overestimate the stone-like diamond and yield an estimate, while an immature-inexperienced-apprentice jeweler will undervalue a polished-rough diamond. Can... Suppose a person has extensive experience in the field of buying and selling land, has a good idea of ​​which land is considered an opportunity - in which area land prices are likely to skyrocket in the future; So that person will be able to get prices like silver after buying lands at the price of water. When an inexperienced person in this field will regret selling the opportunity at a low price at the time of a little rush... Suppose a person is smart enough to take advantage of even a small opportunity in any field of life to the extent that it changes from an ordinary opportunity. can be benefited, while an ingenuous person fails to take advantage of a great opportunity. What does this indicate? That is, if the understanding is 'perfect', one can get extraordinary benefits even from ordinary things. Hey! Time-Energy-Materials and Coincidental Four 'S' can also be availed only by a person who understands their usefulness. In this expectation it can certainly be said that understanding is the special thing of utmost importance.

As can be seen in the above examples, due to the understanding, the benefits in the external sphere - the worldly sphere are well received. But on the internal front - in the field of self-wellness, it can provide incalculable benefits. Let us be determined to develop a special understanding of certain things that have tremendous inner-spiritual benefits.

(1) Wealth :- Like a bee clings to a beehive, so that we don't become stingy and cling to the hive of wealth, we should develop a special understanding to divert the flow of wealth towards charity and that charity also becomes a cause of welfare in the true sense:

Even though wealth may have been abundant due to the sacrifices of the past, there are only three alternatives: to give away, to enjoy, to leave. Not a single person has carried the wealth of this birth with him in the next birth and will not carry it. That's why it is said that "Bandhi muthi took awataryo, jatan empty hand..." If you don't like the option of leaving this, then two options are left. The option to indulge in it can give rise to intense attachment and the consequent tradition of suffering. Therefore, the option is to be rejected. Residual donation option. Adequate indulgence and maximum charity : This style is best. Such was the attitude towards wealth of Emperor Sahitya-Maharaja Kumarapala-Shitpala and Tejpal-Jagadushah etc. It benefited innumerable individuals internally and as a 'side effect', those dignitaries effortlessly achieved eternal success...

'The donor does not favor the receiver, rather the receiver favors the giver' to keep this common understanding in every donation. Philosopher Sri Umaswatiji Bhagwant, while giving the definition of charity, has punctuated this point very well as "Anugrahartham Swasyatisargo Danam". According to the Sanskrit language, the word 'self' has two meanings out of many: sva = wealth and sva = self. Umaswatiji Bhagwant covers both these meanings and defined the sutra as "Giving up one's wealth for one's benefit is called charity." To give intensity to this interpretation, we should think that 'there is a passion to give charity, but if there is no one who takes charity - who extends his hand, then where can charity be given? So the holy souls who accept donations are very useful to me in practicing charity. My attitude towards him should not be inferior, but excellent.' How polite is the activity of such a thinker? So read this small yet significant incident:

After the death of a Bengali writer, his son started a scholarship scheme in his memory. Son's aim was to provide financial support through this scheme to students who are bright, but are facing problems in progressing in their studies due to financial constraints. In the first year, the manager prepared a list of such brilliant students. It was titled above "List of students benefiting from Chatterjee Scholarship Scheme this year." The shrewd and sensible son quickly picked up the pen and amended the title to read "List of students who have benefited from the Chatterjee Scholarship Scheme this year." Then he spoke plainly: "Students don't benefit, we benefit..."

(2) Service :- Service is something that everyone likes to receive and giving is something that no one likes. Because one is very pleased when one gives all the favors by serving. But almost no one is happy with the opportunity to waste hours and hours of service. Despite this general reality, there is still some class that is willing to serve. This service class is also of two types: paid service and unpaid service. Doctor-nurse-milkman-printer etc. are doing that service by taking wages. In this category, the emphasis is on compensation, not service. Hence it is not considered service in the main. One who serves without pay – without any apparent compensation. Its service is primarily service. To make this service also excellent, special understanding should be imbibed something like this:

'There is no service for the fruit, but the service is the fruit.' Mewa means the tendency to get heavy compensation in unfair form. A politician may serve without a salary, but his service is always calculated to take occasional work. We should think that 'I don't want to keep any such calculations behind unpaid service. For me service is fruit. There is no fruit better than selfless service.'

Sometimes one does not expect any monetary compensation in return for service. But there is an expectation of a return that is appreciated. If no one appreciates it, it will be irritating to 'sacrifice no matter what. But where is anyone's appreciation?' We should make the service great thinking that 'I do not expect fame. If the roots of the tree are exposed, it can be harmful to the tree. If the service is publicly exposed in it, it will be detrimental to the fruits of the service. So I don't expect any publicity-appreciation.'

When the service is of an austere-vratad meritorious soul, it gets the rank of 'Vaiyavacha'. The fruit of this Vaiyavacharup service is so excellent that fame, position, money, etc., are dwarfed by it. The scriptures show the attainment of Tirthankara Naamkarma as the best fruit of Vaiyavacha. In a direct dialogue with Prabhu Mahavir Dev in the Agamagrantha named Sri Uttaradhyayana, the question is asked "Vayovacchen Bhante Jive kin Geteyi?" That is, O Lord, what does life get from Vayavacha? Prabhu replied that "veyavacchena jive titthayaranamguttam geyeyi." That is, from Vaiyavacha, the Jiva gets the Tirthankar Naamkarma. We should think "Be the best pinnacle of my service career in the grace of God."

Such special understanding can be cultivated in nature-good-nature-sadhana-samadhi etc.

One last thing: When knowledge is mixed with milk, it becomes curd... When understanding is mixed with life, it becomes jewels.