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Letter 4 These stories from Prathamanuyoga create proper and right impressions about religion in our minds and mould them towards its study. In life we are impressed and moulded by many things in our surroundings like social customs and religious rituals, T.V., films, people around us etc. We unconsciously think about them and are moulded by them. Similarly by reading and studying the glorious life stories in Prathamanuyoga we tend to think of them and then start taking interest in Jain philosophy.
Some people consider these stories in this scripture Prathamanuyoga as impossible myths or improbable. But we see that in today's world of scientific discoveries there are so many new things developed, which were thought to be impossible few years ago.
Similarly those things narrated in the scriptures by way of stories may have been possible at that time or in those eras. In those days the effects of the Mantras were more powerful and profound, just as in this atomic age scientific techniques are more progressed and powerful. That is why even those things supposed to be happening in those days because of the power and greatness of Mantras will have to be studied and examined in proper perspective of logical scientific view point.
The basic important theme or gist of all the four Anuyogas is Veetaragata i.e. the study of the Anuyogas will be considered benoficial only if we derive moral lessons of Veetaragata from them. For instance don't think Prathamanuyoga is a mere collection of stories and fairy tales. On the contrary they are the media through which the lessons of Veetaragata emerge out in a very simple and natural manner as described in the stories.
The study of any of these Anuyogas can be said to be proper, complete and effective only if the reader realises and achieves Veetaragata. In Prathamanuyoga life story of the Tirthankar is not a mere story of a child who becomes a great saint and then Tirthankar Arihant and reaches ultimate stage of Siddha but it shows how it is possible for everybody to attain that stage.
After reading about the various types and phases of existence each being goes through we realise that I i.e. this Jeev is not just confined or limited to this present existence in human form alone. It will go through various phases of existence by reincarnating again and again.
Therefore the great emperors who had conquered wealth and power or those people who had amassed great treasures, on realising the futility of the worldly gains, they saw that those pleasures were transitory and therefore were not the true source of happiness. They renounced everything, became monks, in order to attain salvation i.e. liberation from all bondages, to attain true happiness, infinite Bliss.
