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स्व: मोहनलाल बांठिया स्मृति ग्रन्थ
being who experiences eternal bliss. Seventhly, the spiritual experience of arhat is ineffable and surpassess all the simites of the world. Considering from the perspective of the spiritual fulfilment, arhat and siddha stand at par. The former enjoys embodied liberation whereas the later disembodied one. Arhat is a divine guru, who delivers sermons for general beneficence and is also a perfect deva on account of the complete actualication of the divinity potential in himself. Therefore, in arhat there is the consistent identification of devatva and gurutva, of inward and outward experience whereas in the siddhas there is only devatva. A siddha who is completely liberated from the karmic bondage is completely released and hence formless he cannot practically preach the Dharma but the living Arhat who is omniscient can preach the dharma to the mankind. A Nirgrantha is one who is free from love and hate who knows the absolute atman, who is well disciplined who understands the Law and subdues his senses attains liberation.
According to the parable of the Lotus pool narrated in the Sutrakitanga2 there was a Lotus pool which is delightful and magnificent filled with much water and mud and contains many white lotuses. This lotus pool possesses in the middle, one big white Lotus. There came four men from the four quarters who are proud of their own abilities and tried to fetch the big white Lotus. As they proceeded, the water and mud seemed to extend, so they could neither reach the white Lotus not return to the bank and got stuck up in the mud. Then arrived a restrained monk who called aloud standing by the
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31.
Pandit Hemacandraji (Tr & Company), Sri Sutrakrtangs Stra (Prathama Srutaskandh), P. IV.
JS Part II, P. 334.
Ibid., P. 335.
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