Vol. 11 · pages 401–405

382 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES IV § 5. Man—Just and Good 1. Addressing the Brethren, the Lord said, “ There are four classes of persons whom you must learn to distinguish if you wish to ascertain who are good and just. 2. “Brethren, there is a class of persons who strive for their own welfare but not that of others. 3. “Brethren, herein a certain person practises the extirpation of lust in himself, but does not urge the extirpation of lust in others : practises the extirpation of ill-will in himself but does not urge the extirpation of ill-will in others ; and also practises the extirpation of ignorance in himself but does not urge the extirpation of ignorance in others. 4. “Indeed, Brethren, this is the person who pursues his own welfare, but not the welfare of others. 5. “Brethren, there is a class of persons who have striven for others’ welfare, but not their own. 6. “Brethren, herein a certain person does not practise the extirpation of lust, ill-will and ignorance in himself, but urges the extirpation of lust, ill-will and ignorance in others. 7. “Indeed, Brethren, this is the person who has striven for others’ welfare, but not his own. 8. “Brethren, there is a class of persons who strive not, neither for their own welfare nor that of others. 9. “Brethren, herein a certain person practises not the extirpation of lust, ill-will and ignorance in himself nor urges the extirpation of lust, ill-will and ignorance in others. 10. “Brethren, this is the person that has not striven for his own welfare nor that of others. 11. “Brethren, there is a class of persons who strive for their own welfare as well as that of others. 12. “Brethren, herein a certain person both practises the extirpation of lust, ill-will and ignorance in himself and also urges the extirpation of lust, ill-will and ignorance in others.

383 HIS SERMONS IV 13. “Brethren, this is the person who has striven for his own welfare as well as that of others. 14. “This last person is to be deemed just and good.” § 6. Need for Doing Good Deeds 1. On one occasion, thus spake the Exalted One, to the Brethren. 2. “Be not afraid of good works, brethren. It is another name for happiness, for what is desired, beloved, dear and delightful, this word ‘good works’. I myself brethren can bear witness to having reaped for many a long day the profit of good works a thing desired, beloved, dear and delightful. 3. “I often ask ‘Of what deeds is all this the fruit ? Of what deed is it the ripening, in that I am now thus happy and contented.’ 4. “The answer that comes to me is: ‘Of three deeds this is the fruit. Of three deeds this is the ripening, the deeds of Charity, Self-taming, and Self-control.’ 5. “Auspicious, festive, happy, blessed dawn ! Fair day, glad time is that when alms are given to worthy ones : when goodly acts, words, thoughts, right aspirations, bring auspicious gain to those that practise them. 6. “Happy are they that win such gain, and prosperous in the way ! So be ye also prosperous in the way free from disease and happy with your kin.” § 7. Need for Making Good Resolutions 1. Once when he was at Shravasti in Jeta’s Grove the Exalted One said to the Brethren : 2. “Brethren, there is a great need of good resolutions to be made and observed for a pure and happy life. 3. “I will tell you what your resolutions should be. 4. “Resolve that, ‘all my life long may I support

384 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES IV my parents. May I respect the head of my clan. May I be of gentle speech. May I speak evil of none. Clearing my heart of the stain of selfishness, may I dwell at home generous pure-handed, delighting in giving up, may I be a proper man to ask a boon of, delighting in sharing gifts with others. 5. “ ‘All my life long, may I be angerless, and, if anger arise, may I quickly check it.’ ” 6. Such are the seven resolutions Brethren, by undertaking and performing which you will attain the state of happiness and purity.

385 HIS SERMONS IV SECTION III SERMONS ON RIGHTEOUSNESS § 1. What is Righteousness 1. Once when the Lord was on an alms-pilgrimage in Kosala, with a great train of almsmen, he came to a Brahmin village of the Kosalans named Sala. 2. It came to the ears of the Brahmin heads of families in Sala that the Blessed Lord had come to their village in the course of an alms-pilgrimage in Kosala. 3. They felt it was good to go and visit him. So the Brahmins of Sala went to the Lord and, after exchanging civil greetings, took their seats on one side. 4. They asked the Blessed One if he would explain to them what he meant by righteousness. 5. So to the attentive Brahmins the Lord said : “There are three forms of unrighteousness and wickedness for the body ; four for speech ; and three for thoughts. 6. “As regards bodily unrighteousness, a man (i) may take life, as a hunter with hands bathed in blood, given to killing and slaying, merciless to living creatures ; or (ii) may take what is not his, by appropriating to himself in thievish fashion the belongings of other people in village and jungle ; or ( iii) may be a fornicator, having intercourse with girls under the charge of mother or father or brother or sister or relations, yes, with girls affianced and plighted, and even wearing the very garlands of betrothal. 7. “As regards unrighteousness of speech a man (i) may be a liar; when cited to give testimony before assembly or village-meeting or family council or royal household or his guild, he may say that he knows when he does not know, or that he does not know when he does know, or that he saw when he did not see, or that he did not see when he did see, deliberately lying in the interests either of himself or of other people or for some trifling gain. Or ( ii) he may

386 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES IV be a slanderer; repeating here what he has heard elsewhere so as to set one set of people by the ears, and repeating elsewhere what he has heard here so as to set another set of people by the ears ; he is a dissolver of harmony and a fomenter of strife; discords prompts his utterances, discord being his pleasure, his joy, and his delight. Or (iii) he may be bitter of tongue; what he says is rough and harsh, hurtful and wounding to others, provocative of anger, and leading to distraction. Or ( iv) he may be a tattler talking out of season, without heed to fact, always talking of the unprofitable, never of the Doctrine, never of the Rule, but ever of the trivial, of the ill-timed of the frivolous, of things leading nowhere, and unprofitable. 8. “As regards unrighteousness of thought, a man (i) may be covetous, coveting other people’s gear with the yearning that it were all his own. Or (ii) he may be malevolent and wicked of heart,—wishing that creatures around him might be killed, destroyed, annihilated, or cease to be. Or ( iii) he may be wrong in outlook and erroneous in his conceptions—holding that there are no such things as alms or sacrifice or oblations, that there is no such things as the fruit and harvest of deeds good and bad, that there is no such thing as this world or any other, that there are no such things as either parents or relations elsewhere, that there are no such things in the world as recluse and Brahmins who, having trodden the right path and walked aright, have, of and by themselves, comprehended and realized this and other worlds and made it all known to others too. 9. “Contrariwise, there are three forms of righteousness and goodness for the body; four for speech and three for thoughts. 10. “As regards bodily righteousness, a man ( i) puts from him all killing and abstains from killing anything; laying aside cudgel and sword, he lives a life of innocence and mercy, full of kindliness and compassion for everything that lives, ( ii) Theft he puts from him and eschews taking from others except what