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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
My task is to lead you from the external world into the internal world and to impel you to travel inwards. When you turn your eyes inwards your thoughts and actions will become exalted. Where there is such an exaltation there will be sanctity. When once the soul attains sanctity, it will begin pursuing the path of perfection and it will attain its supreme objective of reaching the Paramatma.
If you do not ask your questions seriously and sincerely, they will be futile. Asking such questions is mere exhibitionism. Those who have a genuine desire to acquire knowledge can approach me. But your questions must be your own arising from the depths of your own mind. You must attempt to seek knowledge. You must endeavour to know yourself. You should not come here to test me and you should not also ask me questions which are not your own and which you have gathered from elsewhere. They lack sense and relevance.
I feel happy when you come to me with your questions, but if you come to me without reason, I wish to keep aloof from you. The life of a sadhu is different from that of a househoider.
What is a merit according to me, may be a defect in your eyes.
A sadhu cannot have much familiarity with householders. Too much familiarity with householders causes decline in our life. The life of a sadhu will be fruitfuj when he can exercise a control over himself.
There are five great vows (mahavratas) which elevate and sanctify the life of a sadhu. Those vows enable a sadhu to achieve spiritual progress.
There are five factors which bring about a degeneration in the life of a sadhu. They are (1) delivering discourses (2) intimacy with householders (3) newspapers (4) fame and (5) flattery. The act of delivering discourses is harmful to a sadhu ; it brings about egoism and other mental distortions. Familiarity with householders is not desirable for sadhus. That is desirable for householders.
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