Book Title: Jain Itihas Series 01
Author(s): B Benarsidass
Publisher: B Benarsidass

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Page 67
________________ ( 88 ) man. Those men greatly.err who call us Nastikas. Certainly they are wrong, totally wrong. We are not Nastikás. We believe in God. Only our notion of God is different from that of others. Gentlemen, I have said before that the mysterious puzzle, What is I? What is this world ? has been differently solved by different Great men, in different ages, in different climates. The notions of God are also different. Some represent Him as a creator, destroyer and preserver, some say that He judges us only by our faith in His sons and deputies, some say that He judges us in proportion to our worship of Him. Şome give one definition of Him and some another. We have our own definition. We say that He is neither a creator, destroyer, and preserver, nor has He sons and deputies. He is almighty, eternal, omniscient, and has infinite gunas. He is the divine soul. We press upon each man his own importance. If every one of us were to realize what he really is and to act up to it; just see what should have his actions. been Thus we believe in God. Only our notion of Him is different. We give the lie to those men who call us Nastikas. We believe in God. Gentlemen, may I not also ask you in one word if those men do not err who say that the Jains have no philosophy. Have we no philosophy? Is the above one no philosophy ? However, read Madhava's Sarva-Darshana-Samgraha, and he will tell you if the Jains have no philosophy.

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