Chapter I: Repentance
the steps of God fear. They regard the bitterness of renunciation
of the world as sweet and the roughness of bed as smooth. Even
their glands of salvation and the staffs of security grow strong
and their souls rise upwards and enter the garden of fortune.
They make enjoyments in the sea of life and sing in the well of
despondency. They cross the bridge of passions and descend into
the field of education, drink water in the tanks of wisdom,
embark on the boat of peace and sail in the sea of security with
the wind of salvation.
TAUBA FROM MINOR AND MAJOR SINS
Tuba means to give up sins. If a thing is not known, it is not possible to give it up. When Tauba is compulsory, the thing by which the condition of Tauba is reached is also compulsory.
CLASSES OF SINS ACCORDING TO THE NATURE OF MEN
Man has got four natures. It is narrated regarding the wonderful qualities of soul that the nature and conduct of man are many, but they can be limited within four natures-Godly nature, devilish nature, beastly propensity and propensity of ferocious beasts. The reason is that man has been created of different elements and every element has got its influence.
1 . Firstly — Godly nature. To boast, to take pride, to create, to love praise, to love honour and power, to wish to live forever, to wish to lord over all etc. are the Godly qualities in the man (2)
Secondly, the devilish natures of hatred, rebellion, fraud, cheating, disturbance and all kinds of evils. (3) Thirdly, beastly propensities like greed for satisfaction of stomach, fornication, theft, eating of the property of orphans etc. (4) Fourthly, propensities of ferocious beasts, out of which grow the evils of anger, attack, rebuke, killing, etc. They come in order. Firstly,
Vol-IV THE BOOK OF CONSTRUCTIVE VIRTUES 23
beastly propensities remain strong and then propensities of ferocious beasts come. When these two propensitiesunite, they make intellect subservient to practise cheating, fraud. This is also the nature of the devil. At last, the Godly qualities become strong-greed for name and fame, greed for honour, desire for lordship over people etc. These are the roots of sins and fountains. Sins flow from these fountains into the bodliy limbs.
Some sins fall in mind, such as infidelity, hypocrisy, will for doing harm to men. Some sins fall in eyes and ears, some in tongue, some in stomach and organs of passion, some in hands and feet and some in the whole body.