1. Dhriti (fortitude or patience). All good things are difficult to attain. One needs to be patient. Even
after attainment, things may be lost. One needs to bear it with fortitude.
2. Kshama (Forgiveness or tolerance). There's no need to reply to every wrong with another wrong.
Sometimes, it is better not to respond and break the cycle of action-reaction.
3. Dama (Self-control). One should not be arrogant or excessively proud of one's qualities. It also
means being judicious and not saying whatever comes to mind.
4. Asteyam (Non-stealing). We need to have integrity and honesty, not just in our actions but also
in our thoughts.
5. Shauch (Purity). Cleanliness is of two types - external (keeping our body, clothes and surroundings
clean and eating clean food) and internal (keeping our thoughts clean).
6. Indriya Nigrah (Control of sensory and motor organs). We have five sensory and five motor organs.
We need to keep them under our control rather than becoming their slaves.
7. Dhi (Wisdom). This can also be called the power of discrimination. This means true knowledge,
which allows one to discriminate between right and wrong paths in every situation, despite diffi-
culties and temptations.
8. Vidya (Knowledge). Refers to our education as well as our understanding of the practical realities
of life. Upanishads talk about knowledge of two types : vidya which refers to the higher knowledge
of the soul and avidya which refers to the lower knowledge of material things. To be successful, one
needs both kinds of knowledge : avidya to perform successfully in the physical world and vidya
for spiritual enlightenment.
9. Satyam (Truthfulness). It means seeking truth and always following the path of truthfulness.
Being truthful gives us enormous peace of mind and is our protective shield in difficult times.
10.Akrodha (Absence of anger). Absence of anger does not mean one never gets angry but is not
angry without justification.
Tailpiece.
A quiet and lazy Sunday!
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