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status as a householder and his advanced internal spiritual status is also only a consequence of Śrīmad's ultimate surrender to dogmatic Jainism. In two letters, written in the same year to Mansukhram Suryarām and Jūṭhābhāi Ujamśī, Śrīmad expresses the same view. At the same time, he remains an undogmatic free spirit. This can be proved on the basis of an incomplete poem which he composed in the same year 1889. Here he maintains that the religion of the self (atma dharma) is the essence or root of all philosophies, and that even today we can realize the self through the mere acquisition of knowledge under the guidance of a worthy master.
3. THE PERIOD OF THE DIRECT EXPERIENCE OF THE SOUL
Śrīmad's emphasis on the role of the sadguru in self-realization appears to be a consequence of the influence of non-Jain Indian philosophy and religion such as Vedanta, Vaiṣṇavism etc. on him. His study of non-Jaina authors, such as Narasimha, Prātama, Kabir, and Ãkha and works such as the Yogavasistha, Bhagavadgītā, Bhāgavata, Dāsabodha etc. may have impressed the importance of the sadguru on his mind. Though in the Jain tradition, theoretically, the guru's role for one's self-realization is acknowledged, in actual practice it does not appear to be on par with that of non-Jain Indian traditions. When Śrīmad was 22-23 years old, there was exchange of about 9 letters between him and probably Mansukhram Suryarām, who was a Hindu. The two developed cordial and friendly relations. Śrīmad received non-Jain books such as the Yogavasiṣṭha from Mansukhrām and through his correspondence explained his views on philosophical matters in order to find a common ground between them.
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