Jinamanjari 2001 04 No 23

Author(s): Jinamanjari
Publisher: Canada Bramhi Jain Society Publication

Page 24

sarvajña jñānī alone can be designated as siddhanta. However, even the teachings that are contained in non-Jain religious works may also be useful as preparatory upadeśa bodha.
Although, in his opinion, the real path (vāstavika mārga) is different from the path of instruction (upadeśa mārga), Śrīmad boldly prescribes the study of literature of other philosophical schools to his disciples for developing detachment (vairāgya) etc. A devotee of Jainism may benefit from studying non-Jain literature, but he does not need to give up Jainism in order to do so. Srimad remarks, "I understand two ways or means namely upadeśa märga and vastavika märga. When I prescribe a Jain scripture to someone, I do not ask him to follow Jainism. Similarly, when I ask someone to study Vedāntic scripture, I do not ask him to follow Vedāntism. ... This prescription is meant only to know the purport of (my) preaching. You should give up sectarian bias. The ātman is beyond such sectarian distinctions."
At the end of 1894, that in his 27th year, Srimad appears to be well settled in Jainism. There is no more attempt of comparing Jainism with Vedānta etc. as in the past. He seems to have formally integrated non-Jain philosophical and religious works in his scheme of upadeśa bodha; and prescribed their study for developing basic qualities in his disciples, such as vairāgya, upaśama, samvega, nirveda, asthā etc.
In contrast to earlier pronouncements, śrīmad defines true scripture (satsõstra) in 1892 as the preaching of a sadguru and the satsanga as the association both with a sadguru or with co-aspirants. He emphasizes again that due to the memory of his past lifes he was able to realize himself that once he had attained the guidance of a sadguru and his satsanga in a past life. He says, "I have experienced significance of satsarga in my past life. I all the while remember it and this thought continuously remains present in my life."
While commenting on his own state of jīvana mukta jñānī he points out the difference between the jñāni and the bhakta. According to śrīmad, a jñānī does not depend on īśvara and īśvarecchā. He is niralamba, or self-reliant. He is in his natural state of the realised pure self (sahajsvarūpa). However, in a letter written perhaps to his disciple Muni Lallujī he states,
20 For Private & Personal Use Only