Beyond Doubt

Author(s): Padmasagarsuri
Publisher: Arunoday Foundation

Page 54

Though you cannot know the exact nature of the soul with the help of a powerful speech, but still if doubts were arosed they can be cleared with the help of 'Shabda". Lord Mahavira had done the same. Indrabhuti had doubt regarding the existence of the soul based on the Vedic statements. The Lord did not criticize the Vedas. If we have right faith and right knowledge, there is no need to criticise the scriptures of other religions. Anekanta view point enables one to consider all possibilities, and thus helps to find solutions to contradictory statements.
Though Lord Mahavira was an omniscient, he never said, "I am an omniscient and you have to believe and agree to what I say". He was never proud of his supreme knowledge and never said that the Vedas were false. In a very polite way he explained the exact meanings of the Vedic statements. He said, "Gautama, just as the ordinary man cannot understand the 'Paramanu" but a Jnani3 and a scientist can analyse it corectly, In the same way a Jnani knows the soul and explains it to others with the help of Anumana Pramana.
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Shabda
Paramanu
Jhani
Anumana Pramana
Ghata
"अस्त्यात्मा शुद्धपदवाच्यत्वाद् घटवत् ॥
Just as ghata" is a pure and independent word so also Atman is a pure word. And as ghata is an existing entity, so also Atman is an existing entity. Both words express the existence of the relative objects. The Vedic statement signifies that when you see these objects, you get the knowledge of the objects and when they are out of sight, the knowledge that you previously possessed diminishes with them and is replaced by the knowledge of another object. The Atman is ever existent but the knowledge that is
word
atom
Knowledged person
inference
pot
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