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254
Christian Lindtner
Jambū-jyoti
7. Any attempt of impressing the truths of science upon a mind that is
not quite tranquil will have a bad consequence. It would be [as silly as to apply] a soothing (medicine] against a fever that has newly arisen.
[The patient will only get worse). 8. When the moon or the sun has arisen, then even ten millions of pure
flaming lamps will be of no use to a blind man. Likewise [it is useless]
to teach (students] blinded by the darkness of ignorance. 9. A snake and a cow may drink pure water from the same pond.
In the snake, however, it is changed into poison, but in the cow it becomes milk !
10. When good men and bad men drink the water of knowledge from
the pond of true knowledge [i.e. Jainism), then that ("water"] is transformed into something true in good men, and into something bad in bad men !
11. Water with the same taste [as rain] falls from the sky and reaches
the earth. But then it changes its taste due to the many different
repositories (in which it is imbued). 12. The word that emerges from the mouth of a (Jaina) preacher may
have one and the same "taste" (or meaning]. Nevertheless, it will be perceived in different ways depending on the different attitudes of [the different listeners).
13. An example : Due to its own fault an owl cannot see when the sun is
shining. Also, it happens that a kankatuka-bean is not prepared (for being consumed), even though it has become ripe, like any other (edible). In the same way evil men may have been in touch with the Jaina doctrine—which really makes sense of all fundamental concepts—but still, with their evil minds, do not understand it, even though they have the same opportunity [to listen] to its preaching (as other students do).
14. As a horse may leap up towards another horse, and as a boat may be
tied to another boat in the midst of the ocean, thus modern society, clever in matters of public opinion only, roams wildly about on the waters of heedlessness (or superstition).
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