पृष्ठ:परमार्थ-सोपान.pdf/५३

Dohas] General Introduction 13 As far as possible, we have selected only such Dohas as would supplement the ideas in the Padas, un- less the Dohas are so brilliant that they cannot be omitted. For example, in the first Chapter of our Dohas, we are enumerating only two incentives, the incentive of flux or perpetual change, and the incentive of decrepitude or death. The second is to be found in the Padas, but the first is to be found in the Dohas only. To take one more illustration, the Dohas in our second chapter will contain ideas which are only supplementary to those contained in the Padas, for example, ideas such as those of the combination of material and spiritual welfare, the relation of original temperament to moral character, valuation of fine arts, and so on. We are stating these facts only in order to show that our Dohas are not merely replicas of our Pada literature, but in a way supplement the ideas contained in the Padas. CHAPTER I The essence of the first chapter of the Dohas consists in giving similitudes and analogies for the phenomena of perpetual flux and evanescence. As re- gards the former, we are treated in the first place to (1) a pun upon the two meanings of the word which signifies both a military march and Death, then (2) the perpetual and unceasing round of new and old foliage in nature, and lastly, (3) the question of the impossibility of a definite prediction of the bud of life blossoming into a flower. As regards the latter, we meet with trenchant suggestions as to (1) the succes-