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I am the Soul
end of those births. But will this all happen without purushartha? Or do I have to make the effort?' Think! Bhagawan Mahaveer's atma was present in the times of the first Tirthankar Adinath in the form of his grandson. Bhagawan Adinath had declared then that the grandson would be the twentyfourth Tirthankar of this period. This was a certainty. In spite of that, what a great amount of effort Prabhu Mahaveer had to put in, in his later births! Moreover, not just that! In the very birth in which he was to be the Tirthankar, when it was certain that he would be the Tirthankar, when it was certain that he would become Veetarag, when it was certain that he had the most superior body, when it was certain that he would attain moksa, why did he have to perform such severe penance of twelve years and thirteen fortnights? Why did he suffer torture and disturbances? He was enlightened and knew that he was bound to attain moksa. Moreover, he was a prince. Would he not have attained moksa had he remained enjoying the pleasures of the kingdom? Why! Mother Marudevi was riding the royal seat on an elephant when she attained kevaljnana and then moksa. If Bharat could attain kevaljnana in his palace of mirrors without even becoming a Sadhu, without making any effort, then why wouldn't Mahaveer attain? Why did he have to suffer so much?
Brothers! That was Mahaveer's destiny. He had to suffer so many karmas. He had to perform the purushartha to remove so many karmas. All this was due. That was the reason he did not attain kevaljnana in the palace.
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That is why it is said in the gatha, that you should not remain idle under the excuse that moksa will be attained when the state of births is completed. For, no work is accomplished unless all of its five causative elements are available. Of course, in some cases, one element may be important than the others; that is possible. But only when all five causative elements leading to a work are in equilibrium that the work can be done.
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