________________
SPIRITUAL-SCIENTIFIC PERSONALITY / 243
manner of thinking and conduct and along with it the attention of the society and nation will be drawn towards the most complex problem of fulfilling the basic needs of the people so that we may become partners in the process of getting rid of the external reason for violence.” PRESIDENT'S ADVICE
The Importance of the Living
“I am indeed delighted to participate in the launching of the People's Foundation for Development of Enlightened Citizenship in contin of the spiritual meet at Surat where H.H. Acharya Mahapragya was present. I greet the spiritual leaders, intellectuals, thinkers, social reformers and Gandhians for participating in this mission. When I am with this distinguished audience I would like to share the spiritual pilgrimage I experienced during my visits to Bihar and Jammu & Kashmir.” 1. My Pilgrimages a. Bihar Experience
When I visited Bihar, I was really moved by the way the land of Bihar emanated as an integrated spiritual entity. During my visit I saw in Apapuri, the sinless town, a very sacred Jain pilgrim centre with a beautiful temple of white marble where Lord Mahavira had delivered his sermons. In Jal Mandir the place where Lord Mahavira attained Nirvana, I undertook the traditional parikrama of the temple while chants of religious shlokas rent the air. During the Parikrama, I saw lotus flowers around me blooming in the Jal Lake. When my mind was engulfed in the flowers, I remembered a couplet written by a famous Tamil poet Tiruvalluvar 2000 years ago, which gives the axiom of life.
The couplet means: whatever be the depth or the state of cleanliness of the pond, the lotus flower springs out and blooms majestically looking towards the sun. Similarly the human living can be transformed into a purposeful high living, only when a great aim engulfs the mind of the individual.
I visited Bihar School of Yoga, which guides yoga projects and medical research association with prestigious hospitals drawing inspiration from Adi-sankarAcharya. I also visited Khanquah Rahmani a holy shrine established over 100 years ago by the eminent Sufi Hazrat
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
