Book Title: Basic Thought Of Bhagwan Mahavir
Author(s): Jaykumar Jalaj
Publisher: Hindi Granth Karyalay

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Page 19
________________ tobiography: “The Story of My Experiments with Truth”, Gandhiji has acknowledged the influence of Shrimad's thoughts and sanskar (impressions) on him. Shrimad Rajacandra has rightly said, “There is only one option for crores of jñanis; whereas an ignorant has crores of options." RATNATRAYA Knowledge alone is a mask, and so is conduct alone. And mask or false appearance is the cause of sorrow. The greatest sorrow of a man or woman is that he or she always wears a mask. He or she wants to display what he or she is not. He or she is always under tension that he or she may not be found in his or her real nature. Without rational perception, rational knowledge and rational conduct it is impossible to get rid of masks. Acarya Umasvati/Umasvami of the first century C.E. has simultaneously placed perception, knowledge and conduct under a single adjective “rational" and by putting the path in singular number, has specified them as a means of liberation. His assertion that rational perception, rational knowledge and rational conduct are the way to moksha or liberation ["samyagdarśanajñānacāritrāņimokşamārgah" - Tattvarthasutra (1/ 1)] keeps our faith in their indivisibility. These are called ratna-traya (trio of jewels). In order to walk the path of moksha, rational perception is the first requirement. Perception deals with the internal, knowledge with the external. He who has perceived the internal can perceive the external correctly. Rational knowledge gives us an insight into substances that we already have profound faith in. For it is faith that motivates us to seek knowledge. This is why the above sutra from the Tattvarthasutra mentions rational perception before rational knowledge. If rational perception is the passport, rational knowledge is the visa. Only those who have a passport can get a visa.

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