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Blessings From Bhai Shri Nalin Bhai Kothari
Born as humans, our only objective of this life is to shed all karmas and free ourselves forever from the state of enslaved embodiment. In my endeavors to achieve this, I zealously try to understand how Lord Tirthankars lived and functioned. How they cultivated various virtues and gathered courage for their emancipation.
In the year 2010, I was fortunate to be present at the auspicious opening ceremony of Shri Ashtapad Maha Tirth at Jain Center of America, New York. In this magnificent Jinalay. I was joyfully amazed to see the replica of Shri Ashtapadji Tirth which was being installed, carved out of crystal along with the 24 Tirthankar pratimas carved out of various gemstones. The replica was so elegant that I wondered how beautiful will be the original Tirth. If the Idols made by humans are so exceptionally beautiful, then how majestic would be the real true Ashtapad Mountain created by God - Nature which stands proudly near Mount Kailash in the Himalayan ranges. Uttaraadhyayan Sutra calls Ashtapadji the pinnacle of all Jain tirth. I congratulate Dr. Shah for installing such a splendid Ashtapadji Tirth and am sure that these two volumes of Ashtapad Maha Tirth shall arouse interest and inspire many to take this pilgrimage.
After reading and hearing the historical facts and hypothesis of this great place of pilgrimage I decided to visit the holy Mansarovar and the sacred Mount Kailash as well as the pious Ashtapadji. For the first time such a large contingent of 92 Jain soul seekers, mumukshus of Shree Raj Saubhag ashram undertook such a yatra. Ashtapad puja was conducted with five Jain idols - two of Lord Rushabhdev and one each of Lords Munisuvrat, Parshvanath, and Mahavir in a small marquee on the shores of Mansarovar. The puja was part of a three-day Aradhana Shibir which included meditation sessions and swadhyays on the significance of Ashtapadji. The following day. the idols were taken half way up the Ashtapadji Mountain and placed at a suitable location for conducting Ashtaprakari puja. The puja was preceded by Chaitya Vandan and followed by aarti mangal divo conducted in a very divine atmosphere.
The spell cast by nature in the luxuriant realms of Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet is still uppermost in our minds. It was indeed a journey to the abode of the Gods and a dip into the divinity of our souls. Heights of thought, vistas of hope, depths of meaning and stillness for reflections is what we experienced while observing acres of undulating hills washed in rainbow colors, snowy clouds sniffing at peaks, a limpid sky peering through white cliffs at the horizon. In this journey, like many adventurers of past times, each one of us made discoveries. These discoveries were of our own possibilities, endurance and stamina, of what we can achieve when we are driven by inner resolve, Sankalpa Bala, with faith in our True Guru and his compassionate grace. Presently we nurse our spiritual dreams knowing that Bhagwan Rushabhdev enables us to understand and realize what is truly ours.
With warm regards & best wishes, (From Shree Raj Saubhag Satsang Mandal - Sayla)
XII
| SR No. | 009860 |
| Book Title | Ashtapad Maha Tirth 02 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Rajnikant Shah, Others |
| Publisher | USA Jain Center America NY |
| Publication Year | 2012 |
| Total Pages | 532 |
| Language | Hindi, Sanskrit, Gujarati |
| Classification | Book_Devnagari |
| File Size | 26 MB |