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MYTHOLOGY
.. It is here that the exact teachng of Jainism is found to be of inestimable service ; for while some creeds have pure words, illusion, maya and the like to bind the soul with, others vaguely talk of desire, and others again of such generalities as karma, action, sin and taqdir (destiny or fate). The importance of scientific knowledge has been pointed out ere this, and it is clear that vague generalities are wholly responsible for the amount of confusion which has prevailed in theological circies hitherto,
It is not likely that a man would now be found to insist on interpreting the word son to mean Jesus of Nazareth in the 36th verse of the 8th chapter of St. John's Gospel; but should one venture to entertain that supposition, it would be well to remember that no one can help another in the spiritual region, except to the extent of pointing out the way for obtaining release from the turmoils of samsára. And the case is nowise altered by our individnal beliefs; for the laws of nature are not dependent on the whims of men and other higher or lower beings, but work independently of them. Hence, when people say that it is more comforting to believe that some one else will, out of grace, do the needful for them, they lull themselves into false security and allow themselves to fall asleep on the verge of an innocent looking volcano whose apparent quietness is soon to be changed into a sudden outburst of destructiveness. It is a corollary to be deduced from the spiritual laws already described that the bondage of the soul cannot
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