Book Title: I am The Soul Part 01
Author(s): Tarulatabai Mahasati
Publisher: Shri Gujarati Shwetambar Sthanakwasi Jain Association

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Page 396
________________ 338 I am the Soul vessel, it cannot hold anything." That was it! The flow of knowledge pertaining to the tenth purva was stopped. It went no further. Brothers! History proclaims that Shri Sthulibhadra Muni was the last Dasha Purvadhari. There has not been a Purvadhar with more knowledge after that. Look! An eligible - patra - jiva, does attain powers through devoted practice, but if those labdhis are used in a selfish moment, then it does not take long for the patra to break. How very alert the soul has to be! Once eligibility is attained, in order to retain it, it becomes necessary to be alert that not a single wayward step is taken. If the earthen pot, after it emerges from the kiln, is carelessly thrown around, it is bound to develop cracks. How essential it is to handle it carefully! Well! It is the same with this Atma's eligibility for atmartha; you cannot afford to be negligent either before or after it is ready. Muni Sthulibhadra had a natural clash with his ego, and he had to forego the Purva Jnana beyond the tenth Purva. A minor outburst of the mind gave history a different turn! Brothers! Prabhu has allowed the Labdhidhari Munis to use their labdhis only when they need to safeguard the Dharma. Only under such adverse circumstances does the Muni ward off the imminent danger on the Dharma through his labdhi, not otherwise. The eligibility in the life of Sthulibhadra gave him a lot, he earned a lot and the arising of the stored Karma brought a defect in his eligibility and put a period to his achievements. Let us think, keeping in view both these situations, that the unparalleled ability of the disciple opens the gates of the Guru's heart. And the flood of Jnana gushes into the heart of the disciple. A lamp lights another lamp. A link gets tied to another. And this is the way our knowledge of the Agamas reaches us. It is for this reason that Srimadji too has tried to tell us what he had to say through the dialogue of Guru - Shishya. As a result Jain Educationa International For Personal and Private Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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