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austerities, worship, and charity - all become useless if the . mind is not pure at the last hour of life, just as the training of a king who has learnt the use of weapons for twelve years, becomes useless if he faints on the battlefield." The person performing Sallekhanā should observe self-control, and than fix his mind in the Atman, when the vital forces depart from the body. The process of Sallekhanā must needs be distinguished from suicide. Sallekhanā is undertaken only when the inevitability of death is a matter of undisputed certainty, while suicide may be committed at any time in the life under the spell of emotional disturbance or passionate attitude of mind. uu.
. . The person performing Sallekhanā should make his earnest request to the members of his family and others around him to pardon him for the vicious deeds committed by him to affect them wittingly and unwittingly. He should also forgive them from the bottom of his heart for being troubled by them on certain occasions. Nourishment is to be renounced gradually, so that mental disturbance may be avoided. The persistence of equanimous mental state is the prime necessity. For this the person should devote himself to meditation (Dhyāna) and bid farwell to his body. It will not be out of place to mention that Acārya Vinobā Bhāve adopted the method of Sallekhanā in order to renounce the body with equanimity of mind.
It is important to note that there are other factors contributed by Jainism for the enrichment of Indian culture.
1. Jaina Art 2. Jaina Literature
1. Jaina Art: At the outset, it may be noted that Jainism does not subscribe to the philosophy of 'Art for Art's sake'.
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Spiritual Awakening (Samyagdarśana) and Other Essays
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