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Bhagavai 3:Preface
-5:by them, they were sought to be pacified by their worship, adoration and offerings. Do the canonical descriptions confirm the popular convictions of those days about the part played by the gods in the occurrence of calamities or they simply confirm the truth that those events occurring on earth were due to some divine powers behind them. The truth appears to be that there was no absolute divine power that controlled natural disasters, though it cannot be denied that occasionally gods could change the course of events. There is coordinating relationship between the three: our earth, mankind and divine power. The dialogue under consideration is very much useful for understanding the role of tripartite relationship that guides our destiny.
In the third section of the present Sataka, Lord Mahāvīra explains to his sixth Chief Disciple, Manditaputra, the process of attaining liberation—which is very important for understanding the subject. It is explained how a distracted and agitated aspirant reaches the end of his state of agitation and attains the transcendent state of motionlessness. The expressions "eyati veyati,” “no eyati," "no veyati" remind us of the Upanişadic Phrases “tad ejati, tan naijati."10 The present Sataka is worthy of careful perusal for scholars engaged in the study of mysticism and parapsychology. There is much scope for research in these subjects of the present Sataka.
1. Sammati., 3.43,45—
duviho dhammāvāo ahehuvāo ya heuvāo ya. tattha u ahcuvão bhaviya'bhaviyādao bhāvā.. jo heuväyapakkhammi heuo āgame ya ägamio.
so sasamayapannavao siddhamtavirähao anno.. 2. Bha. 3.8.10. 3. Ibid., 3.54-71. 4. Ibid., 3.72,73. 5. Ibid., 3.105-116. 6. Ibid., 3.154-163, 186-192, 194-220. 7. Ibid., 3.164-182. 8. Ibid., 3.247-270. 9. Thānam, 3.359,360, 71, 70. 10. Īsāvāsyopanişad, 5
tadejati tannaijati tad dure tad vāntike. tadantarsya sarvasya tadu sarvasyāsya bāhyataḥ..
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