Jaina Gazette 1927

Author(s): J L Jaini, Ajitprasad
Publisher: Jaina Gazettee Office

Page 93

58
THE JAINA GAZETTE
The result is that there are millions and millions of allegories to be found in the religions of the world, which are to-day passing current amongst their respective followers for historical facts.
As no one is born with an understanding of allegories, there soon came a time wben the purpose of most of these poetical pictures became unintelligible to men. A division thus occurred between those who understood things and their hidden meanings and those who were ignorant of all such meaning, but who began to interpret the mythological compositions of their sacred books literally. The numbers of the latter increasing naturally with the lapse of time, misunderstanding and bitterness ultimately arose between these two classes of men, and finally there came a time when no knower of the meaning of the divine pictograms could openly declare them to be allegories. The Esoterists, then, had to recognize the wisdom of secret initiation, and openly declared that sacred books should not be read by certain classes of men, thereby aiming to exclude the people who were shown by experience to be incapable of sober metaphysical thought. This is why you find in the Bible the open declaration and advice : "Cast nol your pearls before the swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn and rend you." The fact is that the Bible, like the Vedas and all other mystical books, was not intended for the generality of men. It was only intended for those who possessee the Key of Knowledge the loss of which is referred to in the Gospel of St. Luke. About two thousand years back the state of things was so very bad between the knowers of the wisdom divine and the outer rabble who read everything in a literal sense that the New Testament of the Bible had to be composed entirely in parables, as it is plainly said : " and without a parable spake he not unto them." The stray doctrinal gems that are scattered throughout the scriptures are intended to help the thoughtful seeker, as the proverb has it, by way of a hint to the wise. The thoughtless were not the object of special care on the part of any one ; and it was taught openly : “ give not the children's bread to the dogs."
These observations apply to all other religious scriptures that are couched in mystic terms.
(To be continued) Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat