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leads to rise of positive feelings and noble thoughts. Thus a
Jain householder wishes,” May my days pass in listening to
the religious stories propounded by the Jineshwara Lords.”
Because of it the heart overflows with positive feelings and
noble thoughts.

The major two advantages of positive feelings and noble
thoughts are :

(1) Elimination of papakarmas accumulated since a long time.

(2) Reduction of the cycle of lakhs of births.

We already discussed about the first advantage. Now talking
about the second advantage,
Panchasootra* claims that “Positive feelings break down the
negative series of feelings accumulated in the past.”

[Anubandha = Negative series of feelings. It is the foundation
stone of wrong thoughts of violence, love and hatred for the
materialistic world, imbalance of mind, etc.]

We have carried forward such a dreadful serial of negative
feelings since the previous births. This has led to wrong thoughts
of violence, deceit, injustice, love and hatred for the material
world, depression, etc. Thus a negative thought procedure gives
rise to negative feelings which inturn increases the birth cycle.

However, if we repeatedly listen to inspirational religious stories
and eventually cut down our serial of negative thoughts, then
such feelings of violence, hatred, etc. will also stop thereby
ensuring that our birth cycle does not increase. Moreover, noble
thoughts of non-violence, truth, forgiveness, modesty, non-
attachment towards the material world, composure and balance
of mind will gradually arise and thus reduce the birth-cycle.

* Panchasootra - A religious scripture
6 Purity Purified