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Jaina Acara : Siddhanta aura Svarupa
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revealing vision. The supersoul is nothing but an elevated soul. If one keeps
unsullied with the help of devotion or otherwise, one can scale heights reached but by few. By praising them, devotees themselves gain spiritual verve, self-confidence and firmness in their life. The body of leading religious preceptors is formed by the most auspicious atoms. As such they have an aura about their faces. They are born with limited knowledge which they develop step by step. First, they gain power to study others' minds and later become omniscient themselves. Their knowledge knows no bounds. Their charity is unprecedented. It is said that they donate one hundred and eight lacs of gold coins everyday all the year round. They are sinless celibates. No nymph can entice them. They set a standard for others to emulate. None can be more devoutly austere than them. Rsabhdeva's penance lasted for a year. The other twenty-two preceptors did it for eight
and Lord Mahāvīra for six months. During the period of hard penances they do not take even water. There may be several liberated souls at a given time but not more than one leading preceptor. It is much more difficult to attain this status than to be liberated. To remember them is to be free from all sins, accumulated or otherwise. High temperature is brought down by a cool bandage. A spark can burn bales of cotton. Likewise they annihilate devotes' Karmas. Each of the leading religious preceptors had his own qualities. Rsabhadeva was the earliest to formulate human culture, to depict the way the state should be administered, to teach the lesson of art and civilization and lastly to forsake the greatest splendour of the world. For a year he had no food and yet he remained the very same joyous soul. Santinātha's life is the symbol of peace and amity. Malli's life is a resplendent ideal for women's life. Arişanemi left the beauteous Rājmatī with a view to protecting birds and beasts. How very compassionate he was. What great penances Parsva underwent. He saved the snake from being consumed in fire. Even when tortured by Kamatha he was not indignant at all. Mahāvīra's life was revolutionary. Troubled by people, good and bad, gods and demons, birds and beasts he remained fixed like the Meru mountain He gave Importance not to caste and creed but to qualities. He accorded a high status to women. No snake dare enter the house where Garuda stays. The very remembrance, not to talk of their presence, of such preceptors is enough to annihilate all Karmas. They are called 'Tirathankara' because they guide us through the ocean of life. They founded the Order consisting of monks, nuns, lay votaries-male and female. The Sanskrit word Tirtha' means wharf. Such preceptors have in readiness wharfs in the form of piety and righteousness to enable people traverse safely to the other side. This is why they form the code of conduct for people to follow. This was done by Rsabhadeva alone. Then what for are the other twenty-three Tirthankaras? This is bceause they removed social deformities, which they noticed in their times. The essence of religion never changes. What changes is but the external situation to suit the times. Each one of
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