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506
PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
But today you have attached much importance to worldly routine education and you are quite indifferent to religious education. You are undergoing considerable expenses for their monthly fees, tuition fees and books. How much do you spend after religious education? You even do not send your children to nearby religious schools to get free religious education. Do you know where this indifference for religious education will lead you ?
You complain: "This boy is disobedient and impudent. He is out of our control. He keeps bad company etc. etc." But if you arranged for his religious education and lesson of discipline and politeness from the very beginning, this would not have been the result.
You will leave huge fortune in legacy for your children out of love for them but if they have no character, no virtues, then they will ruin themselves and lose all their possesssions. It is better to impart cultural and spiritual teaching to them so that they would make good and cultural advancement in life.
Designation of Acharya and upadhyaya is certainly very dignified but they are called Sthavira (matured) only when they constantly spread and propagate knowledge and are possessed of profound knowledge.
Jain saint explaining importance of knowledge says: "Rigidly contracted karmas are difficult to be consumed. It would take even millions of years for such consumption. When soul becomes possessed of knowledge and develops its faculty of knowledge then he would consume these karmas even in one breath-time. Just as fire kindles wood and consumes it in no time, man of knowledge kindles his karmas and consumes them in no time and spiritual glow is completely revealed.
A Jain saint proclaimed: "Without knowledge one cannot decide what is eatable and not eatable, what is drinkable and non-drinkable, what should be done and what should not be done. Thus knowledge is the substratum of all religious rites".
Lord Jinas laid down that knowledge is first and non-violence is second in importance. Therefore, first bow down to knowledge. Do not condemn knowledge. Those who enjoyed eternal bliss, did so only with the help of knowledge. It is erroneous to think
