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NG AWAITED-II
JAIN AWAKENING
14 SERE
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(Research Paper submitted at Third International Jain Conference Delhi, February 1985)
By
PROF. PRATAPKUMARJ. TOLIYA, BANGALORE, M.A. (Osm), M.A. (Guj), Sahitya Rathna, Jain Sangit Ratan
From the ancient caves and age old relies and rules of Vijayanagar-Hampi, Mudabidri, Sravanabelgola, Triohy, Kanchi in remote South, Ramekpur from Abu, Girnar and Shatrunjaya in the East, West Pavapuri-Rajagrihi-Nalanda Khandagiri-Udayagiri in other end East, where everywhere this supreme Jain tenet
(One who KNOWS THE SELF, KNOWS EVERYTHING......) has resounded for ages and ages, A TREMENDOUS FORCEFUL FLOW OF THIS IMPORTANT QUESTION comes to Ayodhya Hastinapur and Indraprastha-Delhi in North to us:
"Whither stands JAINISM today which gave first culture to the primitive man on this earth? Whither lies the JINAS'- the ARIMANTAS - all pervading teachings which sublined and emancipated the suffering humanity? Where exists the practical, reality-based and self-oriented Supreme JAIN PHILOSOPHY - the Great Heritage of the Arihantas which could absorb all the "ISM'S" of the world in its vast fold and all the Universal creatures in its glorious grand Lap?.............
This relevant question leads us to our honest, actual, factual and frank analysis and selfobservation which reveals that "AS AN OUTCOME OF ABOVE REFERRED ARIHANTAS SELF-REALIZED VISION & PREACHINGS OF 'ATMAGYANA'(
) & 'RATNA-TRAYA' ( ) WE ARE DOUBTLESSLY FORTUNATE TO BE THE POSSESSORS OF AHIMSA & ANEKANTA the MINUTELY & ALLSIDEDLY VISUALIZED PEREFCT? INTEGRATED? UNIQUE, UNPARALLEL PRINCIPLES OF THE WORLD'S BEST. SUPREME & UNCOMPARABLE PHILOSOPHY OF JAINISM. THIS GREAT HERITAGE HAS NO DOUBT BEEN PRESERVED BY US (WE THE JAINS - BUT MORE IN THE SCRIPTURES & LESS IN PRACTICE: WHERE FROM TIME IMMEMORIAL AND IN THE PAST HISTORY? THE JAINS HAVE A GLORIOUS & ILLUSTRIOUS RECORD AND WHERE RACE, much MORE - "AWAKENING" FROM THE AGE-OLD SLEEP OF INERTNESS & INACTIVENESS IS THE NEED AND DEMAND OF THE DAY: OUR INACTIVENESS IN THE SPREADING OF OUR OWN CULTURE (RIGHT FROM OUR OWN CHILDREN TO THE CORNERS OF THE WORLD) AND OUR INERTNESS & INDIFFERENCE IN THE GLOBAL DETERIORATION OF HUMAN VALUES, ESPECIALLY THE VARIED VIOLENCE MANIPULATION & ADULTERATION IN BUSINESS & FOOD, SHOULD BE A MATTER OF OUR DEEP CONCERN. IS IT NOT OUR SACRED & FOREMOST DUTY AS THE HERIDITARY POSSESSORS OF THE GREATEST PHILOSOPHY OF THE WORLD, TO SHOW AND PAVE WAY WITH OUR LOTUS-LIKE DETACHED, SACRIFICEFUL, ILLUSTRIOUS EXAMPLES AMIDST THE WORLDLY TEMPTATIONS?"
