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The Editor's Bureau writes: 'We have not enough words of praise for this great and noble individual who practises all the advice that he preaches'. In view of all this, Atmaramji felt that there was no question of a penance. He wrote in reply:
'It is written in Shri Nishitha Sutra that if one orders a penance to a person without any blemish on the part of the other person, he who orders the penance will have to offer penance himself and he will also be considered to have disobeyed the command of Jinraja'.
A penance can be given only to him, who confesses his sins in the presence of the Guru with his Inner conscience as witness. To emphasize this point, Atmaramji quoted this instance of Lakshmana Sadhvi :
'Then again, as long as the sinner does not confess his sin, even a Kevaljnani does not order a penance. This rule is mentioned in Shri Mahanishaya Sutra with reference to Lakshmana Sadhvi. When even a Kevaljnani cannot order a penance without a confession from the sinner, how can I, a chhadmastha with limited understanding, order a penance?'
Replying to every argument and every opinion of the Sangha, the revered Acharya refuted the belief that a penance was required for crossing the ocean and going to an Anarya country, in these words:
'I have not read anything like this in any Jain scripture. How can I, then, disobey the command of Lord Jina and order him a penance?'
But the storm of opposition was so severe that any further insistence from Acharyaji might have caused a division in the Sangha. So Shri Atmaramji said, 'If at the behest of the Sangha, Virchandbhai performs a yatra of Shatrunjaya
Jain Education International
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