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34
Pre-view (Purva Ranga)
for a few minutes. (Note: In Kalasa 34 of Ātmakhyāti, Ācārya Amstacandra suggests us to continue such experiments for 6 months for the realization of the soul.)
Visualizing the physical body as something different from us is not easy. One can have doubts. One doubt has been raised and answered in the next five stanzas.
जदि जीवो ण सरीरं तित्थयरायरियसंथुदी चेव। Pycal fare feet du E 31ST ER SET 112611 Jadi jivo na sarīram titthayarāyariyasamthudi cev. Savvā vi havadi micchā teņa du ādā havadi deho. ||26|| यदि जीवो न शरीरं तीर्थकराचार्यसंस्तुतिश्चैव। Haffa ala FA22] JA TISHT : 1126||
(A question is raised by an ignorant person:) If Jīva is not the physical body, then the hymns and worship of [physical bodies of] Tirthamkara and Ācārya would prove wrong. Therefore, soul must indeed be the physical body. [Is it not so?] [26]
Annotation
In Jain traditions, devotees worship five Paramesthi (beings of very high spiritual status). They are Arahanta, Siddha, Ācārya, Upādhyāya, and Muni or Sādhu. Those who have renounced the worldly possessions and follow a definite code of conduct are called Muni. Among a group of Muni, the head of the group is called the Ācārya. An Upādhyāya is a Muni who is entrusted with the task of teaching the group. A liberated soul is called a Siddha. Just after becoming the omniscient, the Muni is called Arahanta. The title Arahanta continues till he attains the liberation and becomes a Siddha. Spiritually, an Arahanta is free from any Moha, inclination of attachment (Rāga) and aversion (Dvesa). He is free from all pains and problems and is in the perfect bliss. But he still has a physical body.
In a Jain temple, the idols of Tirthamkara are worshiped. Those idols represent the physical bodies of Tirthamkara while they were
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