Jinamanjari 2001 04 No 23

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

Page 49

are also obeying his religious instruction. Disciples following a pratyaksa guru hold their living guru, alongside śrīmad, as the object of their devotion. The guru gives religious instruction which the disciples obediently follow, trusting that their guru will direct them towards samyak darśana. Followers who are not devoted to a living guru are not subjected to the discipline and religious instruction of a living guru, so belief and practise is based on the personal interpretation and application of śrīmad's teachings. Srimad's followers may be categorised as following either a pratyaksa or a parokşa guru, and this division is a major dichotomy in the social organisation of this movement.
It has been stated that a true guru is identified by their experience of samyak darśana. Śrīmad's self-realised status is not questioned because this is the basis of his followers' devotion to him, but how are other gurus within the movement authenticated? One method is guru lineage. It is believed that one self-realised person can accurately recognise another, so succession is a sure way for followers to know that a guru is true. An example of this is śrīmad's disciple Lallu, and Lallu's disciple and appointed successor Brahmacārī Govardhandās. However, authority through guru lineage is limited within the movement by śrīmad's lack of surviving disciples. Lallu was Srimad's only disciple who lived long enough to establish a guru lineage. This may explain why photographs of Lallu are so often found alongside photographs of Srimad.
Lallu founded the dedicated āśram and community at Agās approximately twenty years after Srimad's death. Initially this community followed a pratyakşa guru, first Lallu, then Brahmacārī Govardhandās. When Govardhandās died without nominating a successor the community at Agās stated that he was the last person of this cosmic era capable of attaining self-realisation. This altered their position from following a pratyakşa guru to following a parokşa guru. This amendment highlights the irreplaceable devotion disciples have for their guru. It also elevates the phenomenon of samyak darśana, within this community, to a state of superiority beyond the realms of immediate possibility, reminiscent of the claim that Mahāvīra's disciple Jambū was the last person able to achieve omniscience.
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