Jaina Acara Siddhanta aur Svarupa

Author(s): Devendramuni
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 86

VIII
QUALITIES OF THOSE WHO RENOUNCE
WORLDLY OBJECTS
There is a magnificent, glittering, skykissing building vuir Juld it stand without a sound foundation? Should bricks be thrown in the air haphazardly no building will come up. On the contrary they may hit you so hard as to be hospitalised. Life is worth living only when it is backed by spiritual and cultural forces. Most of the people in the world have only the human shape but they lack humanity. They behave like beasts. They bark like dogs when they see their brethren rise. They mew like cats to gulp down milk stealthily. Like a fox they indulge in crafty games. The world consists of rogues and simpletons. The only desire is self aggrandizement for which they proceed more by crook than by hook. Jainism has studied the problem in its depth. Thirty-five qualities contained in 'Dharmabinduprakarna have been explicated by Haribhadra. Hemacandra in his 'Yoga Sastra' has further elucidated them.
Lord Mahavira has rightly said that Dharma stays only in a pure heart. It is nectar which, if dropped into a weak pitcher, will spill itself and the pitcher too will break into pieces. It is said that a lioness's milk can be contained only in a gold bowl and never in an ordinary one. A painter can use his brush only against a clean and smooth wall. His art will go waste if the wall is rough and dirty. A genius can write nothing on a greasy paper. So also humanity cannot reside in an unclean heart. In case dirt is accumulated in a corner of the house you cannot make it fragrant by burning aloe When the mind is vitiated by passions, no religious discourses can possibly penetrate your soul. This is why the living of a man shall be regularised in the right direction. The self is of five categories.
(1) Benumbed soul-Infatuated it takes a sound sleep. Howsoever it tries, it cannot rise and will always remain incapable of attaining salvation.
(2) Sleeping soul.-It can rise if it strives very hard but because of infatuation, it cannot be roused to truth. This is the first stage of spiritual development.
(3) Awakened soul-It successfully removes the curtains of ignorance and false belief. It does see truth face to face. This is the fourth stage of spiritual development which is attained by a person of right belief but who does not observe vows.
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