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THE SACRED BOOKS OF THE JAINAS.
better to have impure gold than not to have any at all; so one who aims at real standpoint may take support from religious practices from a practical standpoint. The practical is an auxiliary cause for the real point.
भूदत्थेणाभिगदा जीवाजीवा य पुराणपावं च ।
आसव संवर णिज्जर बंधो मोख्खो य सम्मत्तं ।। १५ ।।
भूतार्थेनाऽभिगता जीवाजीवौ पुण्यपापं च । आश्रवसंवरनिर्जरा बंधो मोक्षश्च सम्यक्तं ॥ १५ ॥
15.
The ascertainment, from the real standpoint, of soul, non-soul, merit and demerit, inflow, stoppage, shedding, bondage and liberation is right-belief.
Commentary.
These 9 Padárthas or categories are only phenomena of the same noumenon. The real standpoint establishes the essential identity of the self-absorbed soul, round which the other eight group themselves. Speaking, therefore, from the real standpoint, self-absorption alone is right-belief. There are two fundamental categories of the universe, soul and non-soul, each independent of the other in its real essence. Right-belief points to the pure soul as the great reality. The other eight only help us to see the accidents which hinder the self-realization of the soul. It is merely to emphasise caution that these distinctions are made. The man pursuing the path of self-realization is absorbed in his real quest. He ignores things which do not concern his aim.
जो पस्सदि अप्पा अवद्धपुढं अरणयं गियदं । श्रविसेसमसंजुत्तं तं सुद्धणयं वियाणीहि ॥ १६॥ यः पश्यति आत्मानं अवद्धस्पृष्टमनन्यकं नियतं । अविशेषमसंयुक्तं तं शुद्धनयं विजानीहि ॥ १६ ॥
16. Know that (person to be one of ) real standpoint who sees the soul unbound and untouched (by Karmic and physical matter, like a lotus-leaf by water), not other than itself (in all its mundane existences, like gold in its various forms, as ring, bracelet, necklace, etc.), steadfast in itself ( even as the sea at rest ), inseparable (from its attributes, as a
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