Mahavira and his Philosophy of Life

Author(s): Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Jain Vidya Samsthan

Page 53

spiritually converted by his mere sight, forsaking their perverted attitude towards life. His presence is supremely enlightening. Since he has transcended the limited human nature and is revered and worshipped even by celestial beings, he is the supreme Ātman. Thus he is the embodiment of mystical virtues, and is the spiritual leader of society. He is beyond attachment, aversion and infatuation, and consequently, he is absolutely dispassionate. By virtue of his intuitively apprehending the nature of reality, all his doubts have been resolved.: By reason of his self-realisation, he has transcended the dualities of friends and enemies, pleasure and pain, praise and censure, life and death, sand and gold.
The Arahanta is the omniscient being. He, therefore, neither accepts nor abandons, nor transforms the external objectivity, but only witnesses and apprehends the world of objects without entering into them, just as the eyes see objects of sight. The knowledge which is independent, perfect, immaculate, intuitive and extended to infinite things of the universe may be identified with bliss on account of the absence of discomposure arising from the knowledge which is dependent, imperfect, maculate, mediate and extended to limited things. In other words, the consciousness of the Arahanta is not only omnipotent and intuitive but also blissful. Bliss is naturally consequent upon the destruction of the undesirable and accomplishment of the desirable. Thus the Arahanta experiences unprecedented bliss which originates from the innermost beings of self and which is supersensuous, unique, infinite and interminable. We may conclude by saying that the cognitive, conative and affective
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Mahavira and his Philosophy of Life