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Lord Mahavira: A Revolutionary
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bedroom. At that critical juncture I murmured in sleep : What will he be doing?"
Srenika heard her patiently. His doubt was cleared. His suspicion was dissolved. He again went to Lord Mahâvîra and narrated the whole story. The Lord stated, “Things are not what they seem. If you want to arrive at the truth, dive deep. You will then get the precious pearls and diamonds. The sea of truth is unfathomable by supersititions and doubts. They are like the froth which floats on the surface of the sea. Wipe them away and plunge deep. Everything will be crystal clear. Don't disbelieve others. Try to understant them. This understanding will open the flood-gates of reality and you will reach the above of truth which is all-pervasive. Eternal Life
Once a king came to Lord Mahâvîra and asked. “Oh, Lord ! how I can attain eternal life?” The Lord replied, “Be good to your heart. Let your precept and practice be in accordance with each other. You should always follow the righteous path. Let your knowledge and perception be correct. Right knowledge, right perception, and right character lend to eternal life.”
... The king again spoke, “Lord ! It is correct, I have been following your path with sincerity of heart and mind. My knowledge and perception are correct. My character is unquestioned. I lead a life of righteousness. Yet I feel that eternal life is beyond my reach. Where do I fall sort ?”
The Lord then said, “If you really want to realise eternal life, try to eradicate the causes of attachement lying latent in your. Arrogance of erudition, family pride and love of luxuries are causes which bar progress. Renounce everything and tread my path. I say that riches are the real obstacle in the path of emancipation. Riches are not able to save anybody from the certain danger of death. They are futile, Riches engender fear and arrogance. These two are the worst enemies of mankind. So if you want to achieve eternal happiness, renounce everything you have, and become spiritually rich. Spiritual progress cannot be gained by increasing riches in leaps and bounds. The doors of heaven are closed to people possessing material riches and devoid of the spiritual ones.”