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6TRI-RATNA” Dr. ROMA CHAUDHURI, Vice-Chancellor,
Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta.
What is end of Life? This, after all, is the most primary, most urgent, most fundamental question of our lives, and, as natural, various answers have been given by different thinkers, different philosophers, different theologicians, all over the world, all throughout the ages But Indian thinkers, Indian philosophers, Indian theologicians have always a ready answer, an incontrovertible answer to it-viz, Moksa or Salvation "DharmaArtha-Kama-Moksa”--these are ordinarily taken to be the "Caturvarga" or "Four-fold Aims" of human life, viz "Religion ; Wealth : Worldly Gain : Salvation". But staunchly rejecting all-even Religion, generally supposed to be the main cause of bringing down the Kingdom of God on earth-Indian Satya-drasta-Risis or Truth-seeing Truth-manifesting saints and sages and seers of India, have fixed on one thing only as the summum bonum, as the supreme, or, rather the only end of life-- viz, as pointed out above- Moksa or Salvation.
And, simultaneously, we come to be confronted with a two-fold equally fundamental question : viz, what exactly is this state of Moksa, Siddhi or Salvation, the Supreme Goal ? Again, what is the means or Sadhanas to this Supreme Goal ?
Here. Sri Mahavira of immortal fame, one of the greatest saviours of Mankind, the world has ever produced, has given us totally new conceptions regarding both the end and the means, Moksa or Siddhi and its Sadhanas or ways or paths to the same. This is his worldfarnous Doctrine of Tri-Ratna or the Doctrine of Three-fold Gems. "Tri-Ratna", "Threefold Gems" : --what an exhilarating, exalting, exquisite Name! When we are born here on earth, where “Sarvam Duhkham Duhkham", "Sarvam Ksanikam Ksanikam", "Sarvam Supayam Sunayam"-everything is full of sins and sorrows, everything is transitory. ponpermanent in nature, everything is void, with no real worth or basis--we are, naturally, destitute, desolate, degraded, the poorest of the poor, the weakest of the weak, the sorriest of the sorry. But then, Lord Mahavira our great Saviour and Path-Director, appears before us with three great and grand and glorious boons for us all, in the form of three priceless "Gems", which in a moment, make us the richest of the rich, the strongest of the strong, the happiest of the happy- beggars, as we were, faltering and lagging behind, crouching and weeping in a corner, with none to help and encourage us at all-we are, in a minute, transformed into all-conquering heroes, sovereign kings, proceeding towards our great goal of life in firm, unfaltering, bold steps, with a smile on our lips and a song in our hearts, with sweetest hope and deepest joy, with coolest courage and clearest conviction, with firmest determination and surest ability. And, who works out this great change in us ? Our most reverential, most loved, most gracious, most merciful Lord Mahavira, by his
