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Jaina view of Life
ledge and wisdom. He is selfless and compassionate. He is a seeker after truth. But very often we run after persons who do not possess these qualities and who are not fit to be called guru. They indulge in all sorts of unseemly activities. To follow such gurus constitutes Gurumudhata. This type of analysis of the folly has great social significance. In our age, we find we run after those mediocre men who profess to have knowledge and power and who dote on authorities. In our academic institutions like colleges and the Universities, we rarely find real scholars who are devoted to their studies, pursuit of knowledge and teaching. They are more interested in their personal benefit and they run after administrative and political power. They indulge in unacademic and unseemly activities. They are the teacher politicians. Such men should be avoided and be kept away from the young impressive minds. However, it is not to be said that this type of intellectual and social climate is to be found in our time only. Socrates railed against the sophists and the academic and political brigands. He crusaded against hypocricy. And he had to drink hemelok.
III. We are, here, reminded of similar attempts made by eminent philosophers in the middle ages and in the modern period in the West to clear the cobwebs of thought for the sake of establishings the truth. Socrates aimed at defining terms. Some theologians in the middle ages sought to give the guide lines for thought. But we should note that till the beginning of the era, philosophy was tied down to the apron strings of Aristotle's philosophy. One who deviated was condemned. There is a story of a serious attempt made by eminent philosophers to find out the number of teeth a horse has. They referred to the Classical texts and the books of Aristotle. But when a young scientist, imbued with the modern sprit of investigation, humbly suggested that a horse be brought to the
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