Dharma Shiksha - Class 18

Jai Jinendra everyone! Welcome to yet another enlightening session of beautiful and meaningful learnings.

In this Dharma Class, we acquainted the kids with the concept of "Mad" (ego) and its 8 types. Read on to find out more about it...

What is "Mad"?

The word "Mad" in itself can mean a lot of things. For instance, "Mad" might stand for alcohol (madira), honey (madhu), or ego (ahankar).

In today's context, we will focus on the last meaning of "Mad" - ahankar or ego — when someone starts thinking, “I’m the best and no one else matters!”

Now, having confidence is great — like when you score well in your exams or win a race and feel happy about it. That’s awesome! You should be proud of your hard work.

But here’s the tricky part — the moment you start thinking, “I’m better than everyone else!” or “They’re not as good as me!”, your healthy pride turns into a not-so-nice monster called Ahankar (ego).

Think of it like this:

✨ Pride says, “I did well, I’ll keep trying my best!”

😈 Ahankar says, “I’m the best. Others can never be like me!”

So basically, when you start thinking yourself to be superior than others - your pride turns into ahankar and THAT falls into the category of mad.

Now there are 8 types of Mad. We'll discuss each one-by-one.

8 Types of "Mad"

1. Jaati Mad

The word "Jaati" has two meanings - first is your mom's side of the family (nanka family).

And second, it means the different groups or categories people were once divided into in olden times.

Let’s understand those four groups:

⚔️ Kshatriyas – The brave protectors! They were warriors and rulers who kept people safe.

👑 Brahmins – The wise ones! They studied a lot and gave advice to even the kings and queens.

💰 Vaishyas – The traders and farmers! They made sure everyone had food and things to buy and sell.

🧹 Shudras – The helpers! They cleaned, swept and did important work that kept everything running.

Now, being born into any of these jaatis doesn’t make one person better than another — because what really matters is your karma, not your label. But not everyone understands this. Some people do "Jaati Mad" - just like the Brahmin in the following story:👇

So once, there was a Brahmin who was very proud of his jaati.

One day, a great Maharaj ji came to him asking for directions. The Brahmin thought, “Let’s have some fun with him!” and pointed him toward a road with burning hot sand, thinking the poor Maharaj ji would struggle walking barefoot.

But guess what? The Maharaj ji walked calmly across the path, and the sand stayed cool under his feet!

🌿The Brahmin was amazed! When he tried walking on it himself, the sand felt cool and he realized this peaceful man had something truly special — his inner goodness and the power of dharma. So the Brahmin decided to become his follower. He accepted Jain dharma and started learning scriptures and living a spiritual life.

But soon, his old pride crept back. He thought, “I’m a Brahmin! How can I go to lower jaati homes for gochari? How can I teach people from other lower jaatis?”

He let Jaati Mad — the ego of his jaati — take over again.

And what happened next? In his next birth, he was born as a Chandaal, one of the lowest jaatis!

2. Kul Mad

"Kul" refers to your dad's side of the family or your "dadka" pariwar.

And when someone starts thinking, “My family is the best! No one else can compare!” — that’s called Kul Mad — being proud of your family in the wrong way.

Now, here’s a story to explain this better: 👇

A long, long time ago, before he became Bhagwan Mahavir Swami, his soul was born as a boy named Marichi.

Marichi wasn’t just anyone — he was the grandson of Bhagwan Rishabh Dev Ji, our first Teerthankar, and the son of the great King Bharat Chakravarti. So yes, he came from a super famous family! 🌟

One day, King Bharat went to Bhagwan Rishabh Dev Ji and asked, “Is there anyone alive right now who will become a Teerthankar in the future?”

Bhagwan Rishabh Dev Ji smiled and said, “Yes! Your son Marichi will be the 24th Teerthankar, and in other lives, he’ll also be a Chakravarti and a Vasudev.”

When Marichi heard this, he couldn’t stop smiling. His chest puffed up with pride. He thought, “Wow! My grandpa is the first Teerthankar, my dad is a Chakravarti, and me? I’ll be all three — a Chakravarti, a Vasudev, and the 24th Teerthankar! I must be the greatest of them all!”

He started to feel too proud of his kul — and that’s when he did Kul Mad. 😮

Now, here’s the twist!

✨In his final birth, when that same soul became Bhagwan Mahavir Swami, something unusual happened. Normally, all Teerthankars are born in a Kshatriya family. But Mahavir Swami’s soul first went into the womb of a Brahmani lady named Mata Devananda, and stayed there for 82 and a half days!

Why did this happen? Because of that little bit of Kul Mad Marichi had done in his earlier life! It was a reminder that being proud of your family is fine, but thinking you’re better than others because of it? Not cool! 😅

Now imagine --- when even Teerthankars can't escape the repercussions of doing "mad" what hope do we mere mortals have?

3. Bal Mad

The word "Bal" means strength or power — like the energy you have in your muscles! 💪

And Bal Mad means getting too proud of that strength — using it to show off or boss others around.

Let's understand this better with a simple example: 👇

Once there was a boy named Rohan. He was the fastest runner and the strongest kid in his class. During games, everyone wanted him on their team because he always won! 🏆

Soon, Rohan started thinking, “I’m the best! No one can beat me!”

He began teasing others, saying things like, “You’re too slow!” or “Don’t even try, I’ll win anyway!” 😏

So in this way, Rohan started doing "Bal Mad."

4. Roop Mad

Roop means beauty or how you look🌸

And Roop Mad means becoming too proud of your looks — thinking you’re better than others just because you’re pretty or handsome.

Again, let's understand this better with an example: 👇

There was a girl named Anya who everyone said had a beautiful smile. She loved dressing up and looking nice — and that’s perfectly fine!

But soon, Anya started thinking, “I’m the prettiest in my class! No one can look as good as me.” 👑

She even began teasing her friends about their clothes and looks.

She said things like - "Ewww, what are you even wearing? This makes you look so ugly!" or "No matter how fancy you dress up, you can never look as great as me."

Now this is a classic example of "Roop Mad."

5. Tap Mad

"Tap" is short for "Tapasya." Tap can be of 12 types - but mostly, people recognize it as different types of fasting like vrat, aayimbil, ekasana, beasana etc.

Now "Tap Mad" means being too proud of your capability of doing tapasya.

For instance, let us say a boy named Rahul has been doing regular ekasanas and everyone around him starts praising him for it. People say things like - "Awesome, Rahul! Keep it up! Khoob khoob anumodna." 🙏

Even Maharaj jis praise his efforts during pravachan.

Now Rahul starts thinking - "Wow! I've impressed everyone - even the Maharaj jis! Let me do more ekasanas. This way, everyone will praise me even more and call me a true tapasvi!"

So here, Rahul is indulging in "Tap Mad."

His tapasya was supposed to take him inside towards his pure soul, but by doing tap mad, he is making more karmic bonds and getting deviated towards the outer world.

6. Shrut Mad

Here, "Shrut" stands for knowledge. And Shrut Mad means becoming too proud of your knowledge — thinking you’re smarter than everyone else.

For instance, let us say there was a boy named Arav who always topped his class.

Everyone admired how quickly he learned things. But soon, Arav started thinking, “I know everything! I don’t need anyone’s help.” 🤓

He even laughed at his classmates and said - "You guys keep studying all day while I just study for an hour daily and still score better than any of you!"

Arav did "Shrut Mad" and he would have to bear the consequences of it in the future for sure!

Had he been as wise as he was intelligent, he would have helped others with his knowledge.

So kids, instead of doing Shrut Mad, we should share our knowledge freely with others. And after doing that, don't ever feel proud because remember you are just a medium - this knowledge wasn't yours to begin with! It was given to you by your teachers or gurus. 🙏

7. Laabh Mad

Laabh means profit or gain — like when you earn something or get a reward. 💰

And Laabh Mad means getting too proud or greedy about your gains — thinking you’re better than others because you have more.

Let's understand this better with an example: 👇

There was a boy named Karan who ran a lemonade stall at his school fair.

His lemonade was so tasty that everyone bought from him, and by the end of the day, he made way more money than anyone else! 🥤💵

At first, he was happy, but soon he started bragging — “Look how much I earned! I’m the smartest and best seller here!”

Next day, he raised his prices and didn’t care if others could afford his lemonade or not. But guess what? No one came to buy from him! Everyone went to another stall where the lemonade was cheaper and served with a smile.

So that's how Karan's "Laabh Mad" led to his downfall!

8. Aishwarya Mad

Aishwarya means popularity or fame — when lots of people know you, admire you, or cheer for you. 🌟

And Aishwarya Mad means becoming too proud of that fame — thinking you’re better than others just because you’re more popular.

Now let's think about a cricketer like Virat Kohli. 🏏

There are many amazing cricketers in India, but Virat has a huge fan following. People wear his jersey, cheer his name, and celebrate his success everywhere!

Now, if Virat ever started thinking, “I’m the best! Other players don’t matter because I’m more famous” -- that would be Aishwarya Mad — pride in popularity.

But what makes Virat truly loved is that he stays hardworking, humble and respectful toward his teammates. That’s what keeps his fame shining in the right way! ✨

Similarly, there are so many big names and personalities who come and bow down in front of our revered Guruji Updhyaya Shri Jitendra Muni Ji Maharaj. But Guru Ji always remains detached and unaffected - which is what makes him such a pure and "mahaan" soul. 🙏