Beyond Doubt

Author(s): Padmasagarsuri
Publisher: Arunoday Foundation

Page 81

reason that the vedas have propounded such contradictory theories? What is the relation between the former and the latter statements of the Vedas? Please explain this to me and clarify my doubt"
Thereupon Lord Mahavira said, "Oh Sudharma!
“पुरुषो वै पुरुषत्वमश्रुते पशु पशुत्वम् ।
""
The meaning of this vedic sentence is that if a man lives a life embelished with virtues like simplicity, humility, contentment, etc., he will take birth in the human form and if an animal does not rise above cruelty and laziness will be born again as an animal in its next birth. Definitely this statement does not mean that a man will be born as a man only and an animal will take the same form again. If this would have been true it would not have been said that, "the person who is being burned will be born as a jackal in his next birth:." Hence it stands proved that a man depending upon his good and evil deeds can be born either in the human kingdom or in the animal kingdom respectively. "As one sows so one reaps".
The kind of deeds you perform in this birth, will be the deciding factor of the kind of birth you take next human or animal. Hence the vedic verse has been explained toinspire people tolead a noble life, if they are desirous of human birth; otherwise they are bound to be degraded to the animal kingdom". In this. way Sudharma was the fifth Ganadhara to be initiated by Lord Mahavira on the same day. Likewise his 500 disciples too followed his footsteps. After receiving the knowledge of the Tripadi he too constructed the Dvadashangi scriptures.
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The next to follow the holy order of the Ganadharas was the sixth great scholar Manditaji. He came to the Samavasarana along with his 350 disciples and his doubt was whether bondage of the soul to the karmas and freedom from them were true or false. The