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THE JAINA GAZETTE to the young. To convert life into a dance of desires is to miss the very purpose of life. To organise experiences into shakti, is the essential purpose of life. Buddha's great message to his disciples was :-“Go! and quench the flames !" Ane when they asked him to explain what he meant he said :“Look around you ! Behold the flames! The flames of passion and anger and greed and attachment and egoism! The flames of desires ! “Go and put out'these flames !" Men suffer because they are victims to desires. In the overcoming of desires is the secret of happiness.
There be other imperfect conceptions of life. Of these I have not the time to speak. I have only time to speak of one more conception. A noble conception of life. Life is meant to radiate light. In the ancient asramas, the word for the teacher was guru. He was not merely an instructor. He was! also, a trainer: he trained his pupil's body and mind and will and heart. The Guru was an instructor, yes. He was trainer, yes. He was more. The Guru was a transmitter of light. Great is the world's agony. The piteous need of humanity is light, more light. So the rishi of the Upanishad prayed :-"Lead me from darkness into light !" And that ancient prayer, so pure in aspiration, so rich in wisdom, let me repeat as I close ---
“ Asato ma sadgamaya ! Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya ! mrityer mritam gamaya !
" Lead me from the unreal to the Real, Lead me from darkness to Light ! From death lead me to Immortality !"
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
