________________
172 ACARYA VIJAYAVALLABHASŪRI COMMEMORATION VOLUME
being attains prosperity and even such grandeur as beggars description."
If Jainism rejects the false doctrine of the personal God, it holds aloft the mighty and majestic truth of men becoming Perfect and Immortal God-Men, Tirtharkaras-those who have crossed over the ford. Not god and gods and godlings teach and help mortals, but Jinas, those who have conquered their mortality by destroying ignorance and passion. What Tirthankaras have done, men can do today.
My Jaina brothers, you need to activate your inherent faith that Mahāvīra and the other 23 Jinas are alive and are able to help us. A more penetrating consideration into the subject of Tirthankaras as Living Men who now and here love and labour for humanity will enlighten your faith and enable you to help yourselves and humanity in a rich way.
The Jaina community is well known for its wealth; it lacks not the spirit of charity. It has used its millions of rupees for alleviating suffer ing and misery; it has also not overlooked the spreading of the wealth of the Jaina-Dharma by publishing its texts and tomes; but something more fundamental and vital needs to be done. We need living of the Dharma not by monks but by lay men, not only in secluded monasteries but in homes, in shops and marts. To the financial gifts and the spreading of books which aid the human mind, should be added the active and vital power which emanates from pious men and women who study the lofty philosophy of the Jinas and practise its tenets. What does the Uttaradhyayana Sūtra say? "Self is the one invincible foe, together with the four cardinal passions, (viz. anger, pride, deceit, and greed) making five, and with the five senses making ten."
Pride is the seed from which sprout numerous vices. It is the firstborn of Egotism. The Sūtrakstānga Sūtra refers to sins committed by the proud; pride of caste, of family, of beauty, of intelligence, of success, of power, even pride of knowledge and, note, pride even of piety are condemned.
Who does not know that man has a dual nature-the lower is proud and selfish; its way of life is violent; the higher is non-violent-embodied Ahimsa. We have to fight, defeat and overcome the lower and the soldier who will wage war and vanquish the enemy is our own higher nature which is of the substance of the Holy Jinas, the Enlightened Tirthankaras. They have developed the powers of that substance; we have still to do so.
"Though a man should conquer thousands and thousands of valiant
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
