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YOU AND THE UNIVERSE
Attachment and hatred are the seeds of karma....
Karma is the root of birth and death. Wise men say that the cycle of birth and death
is the cause of unhappiness. (UTTARADHYAYANA SUTRA)
Jain cosmological paintings illustrate this entire network of life cycles into different regions of the universe in which the soul rotates. This rotation is a direct result of one's karma - thought, feelings and actions.
Human being who oscilates between the upper and the nether worlds time and again, performs karmas when he is in the Jambudvipa, the centre of the universe. In order to liberate himself from this network he should transcend karma. This can happen by following right knowledge, right faith and right conduct as propounded by the Jinas.
The purpose of such paintings is to help people easily understand the working of karma and his own role in creating his own destiny. It also gives hope that with proper effort one can attain eternity.
The soul can after attaining absolute purity through incessant efforts during various cycles of rebirths, can reach right to the summit of this cosmos which is called the siddhashila, the seat of the supreme liberated souls.
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