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Non-Violence
may be acceptable in the relative world, but not in reality.
The Two Types of Ego
According to the laws of liberation the Lord has given us,
egotistical people cannot attain liberation. Some people have an
ego about not drinking alcohol while some have an ego about
drinking it. Neither will achieve liberation.
People who boast about not drinking alcohol are more
egoistic than those who drink it. The latter at least, admit their
weakness. They will confess to being unworthy when they are
drunk and immediately come to their senses when a bucket of
water is thrown on them. The same does not apply to those
intoxicated with the illusion of this world. Their intoxication will
remain with them through countless lives. Such people become
conceited and say, ‘I am something, I am something.’
Once there was a Jain merchant who had two sons: a three-
year-old and a year-old infant. When a plague hit their village, the
merchant and his wife died, leaving the children behind. The
villagers held a meeting to determine the fate of the boys. A
goldsmith adopted the older boy, but no one was ready to adopt
the younger one. A man from a lower caste came forward and
offered to take the infant. Some of the villagers protested, saying
that it was wrong for a Jain child to go into a family of a lower
caste, but they ultimately conceded. When the older child became
an adult, he strongly opposed eating meat and drinking alcohol.
The younger boy on the other hand insisted that one should drink
alcohol and eat meat. How can the thinking of these two brothers
differ so much?
Questioner: It was because of their upbringing.
Dadashri: Yes, their upbringing. The villagers asked a sage
how it was possible that two brothers should have such contrary
beliefs and wanted to know which one of them would attain
liberation. The sage told them that liberation was a completely