"Now for the second: A-dambhithwam, vanity-less-ness. This is a very great virtue in man. It means the absence of pretence, pompousness, boasting that one is great when one is not, claiming that one has power when one has nothing, that one has authority when one has no such title." Here readers will note one point. The world today is full of this false pretence, this hypocrisy. Whichever field of activity you watch, whomsoever you observe, you discover this dire defect. The governments of nations are in the hands of people who are pretenders to power, authority and capacity. Those who have no knowledge claim to know everything. Those who have no one even to help them at home, claim that they have a huge following.

In every activity, this hypocrisy is the very first step. This ruins man in every field, like a pest that destroys the crop. If this is wiped off, the world will be saved from disaster. Pretence will make you lose this world and the next. It is harmful at all times and places. It does not suit ordinary men; how can it then be beneficial to the Sadhak?

"The third virtue is Ahimsa. This also is an important virtue. Himsa (violence) is not simply physical; it means even more: the mental pain that is inflicted, the anxiety and worry that are caused to others by your actions and words. If you desist from causing physical pain to others, you cannot claim to have A-himsa. Your activities must not cause pain, must be unselfish; your thoughts, words and deeds must all be free from any motive to cause such pain."

"Then we have Kshama as the fourth. This is called Kshanthi, as well as Sahana. It means that you should consider as unreal, the evil that others do unto you, the loss that you suffer through them, the hatred they evince towards you. Treat these as you treat a mirage. That is to say, you must develop that degree of patience or fortitude. It is not the helpless putting up with the evil that others do because you are powerless to retaliate. It is the expression of the peace that reigns in the heart, this outer behaviour or Kshanthi. True, many people put up with injury that others inflict because they lack physical, economic or popular support; their suffering cannot be honoured as real Kshama."

"Next, let us consider the fifth; Rjuthwam, straightforwardness, integrity, sincerity. It means the harmony of action, speech and thought; this applies to secular and spiritual activity. This is a facet of the fourth virtue, A-dambithwam."