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( 97 ) 59 Q.-How has God been described in ancient
scriptures ? A.-The Jain Shastras hold that the position
of Arhat and Siddha is that of God. How this position is attained, is stated as below. When a soul through a great number of births has been assiduously practising the path of virtue, rectitude and justice according to the teaching of Arhats, and practises the difficult path of twenty virtues in his last third birth aspiring to be an Arhat, it becoines tit to attain the position of a Tiri hankar. In course of time such a one is born in a celestial region from where he comes down and takes his birth in a happy, prosperous, noble and good royal family. If in the former birth he has acquired by his meritorious acts a privilege to enjoy worldly pleasures then he has to enjoy the best of worldly pleasures and dominion. If he has not acquired the said privilege, he can enjoy niither worldly pleasures nor power. Such beings as are to attain the position of Arha's, are born with three kinds of
