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I am the Soul
pondered over the matter, nor have they tried to inculcate it into their thought process. They have overlooked the patronage of an able preceptor, a sadguru, which is essential for understanding the principles in the scriptures under a proper guidance. However sharp the intellect, the secrets in the scriptures do not unravel on their own. Unless one surrenders to the guru, the principles cannot be reached. They have to be assimilated with the help of the guru and with a deep contemplation.
Our great philosopher and most revered guru Shri Jayantilal Maharajsaheb obtained 'Shri Bhagavati Sutra', the foremost among our 32 scriptures, from his guru and has deeply studied it, meditated over it. Wherever he may be, he always has 'Shri Bhagavati Sutra’ at hand. Having read it over several times, he ponders over it and unravels its secrets. On several occasions when he has come across a point over which he was not satisfied he has spent months together toying with that problem, unmindful of day or night, food or rest. He would rest only when a satisfactory solution came up from within.
In 1986 when six of us were learning the 'Shri Bhagavati Sutra' from him, he would ask us a question out of it. All of us would ponder over it, each one of us finding the question so simple and would put forth our answer, confident that our answer would be right. To our dismay the revered Maharajsaheb would have an altogether different answer to offer. Thus without the guidance of a guru the depth of such scriptures cannot be unravelled. For, in these scriptures, which were vocalised by the anantajnani (the Tirthankar), every single word is full of infinite mystery. How can our commonplace intellect, devoid of any experience, understand them? Should we insist upon trying without the guidance of a guru, it is quite likely that we will end up confounded and confused.
Of course, it is possible to become a scholar with knowledge acquired in the absence of the guidance of a guru, but the
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