________________
I want to remain his disciple, in his shadow, for ever and ever! Unfortunately, it is too late now. I have just received the sad news that Bhagwan left his earthly abode, leaving all of us behind. Bhagwan achieved kevalgyan years ago; he had freed his soul from all his ghatiya karma. Free from all his kashayas, he was now free even from the cycle of rebirth and death. His soul is now already in siddha-loka.
Ch. 20: Nirvana - I am alone
Bhagwan, now that you have left, who will guide me? Who will explain your promise to me, "Our souls are destined to be equal"? I used to ask of you hundreds of questions. How shall I now access that boundless source of wisdom? Without you, this entire world will now sink into darkness of ignorance. Once again, ignorant people will be preyed up on by those who will claim to be God's messengers and mislead them with false belief. There shall be wars, and people will kill each other. You intervened and stopped wars by preaching ahimsa, but now who shall teach them the reverence for all life?
Mahavir, you have given us so much wisdom! You asked us to listen carefully and try to understand the opponent's view points, because absolute truth has many facets, and is beyond the reach of us ordinary mortals (Anekantavada). You repeatedly asked us to seek understanding of different opinions to avoid misunderstanding and conflicts. 'Self-righteousness is a shallow passion. It builds up our ego and can only lead to war, death, and destruction.' You used to say.
Dark forces of ego, self-righteousness, greed, and lust will now dance freely on this earth without your presence. Life on this earth will no longer be safe. Indeed the earth itself will not be safe without your
Jain Education International
175
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org