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466 :: 44HICT-FHTAT
Literature, psychology, yoga, art and philosophy are all interwoven by a thought-pattern, which is explained in very simple language, touching the sublime. It elevates us from simple to profound experiences. From the household examples culled from daily experiences of life, it touches the exalted experiences alluded to by psychology, philosophy and science. Even the star-wars and the terror they bring in the trail are pointed out with a grim warning of suicidal annihilation, if man's sanity is lost in the midst of rage and violence. Right at the outset in the preface, poetically termed as a 'Wavelet of Mind', Acharya Vidyasagar enunciates the basic tenets of Jain philosophy, which while accepting the divine essence or godliness of every individual jiva, it denies God as a creator, assuming human body. It is the bondage wrought by karma that makes the jiva revolve in cycles of birth and death. Once the binding fetters of karma which tie down the jiva to the world sansara are cleft by sadhana or penance, by contenance and conquest of the turbulent mind, the cravings of heaving desires and passions swelling in the heart, the jiva becomes free or mukta. The divinity shines in him with all the refulgent-splendour. Jiva contaminated by karma, can wash away the blemishes and bondage of karmas by spiritual sadhana, and the cycle of birth and death ceases. Jiva lives in the eternal glory of his own divine being, godliness. When did karma start its function cannot be answered, as it is without beginning. But it has an end when its shackles are cleft asunder by spiritual sadhana. Jainism does not believe in descent of God or Avatar. Once the Jiva is mukta or liberated, he does not descend, as descent means to be caught again in the mesh of karma from which he is already freed. Rather it believes in the Ascent of Jiva, or Mukti of Jiva, ascending into the divine, its own real absolute essence, gaining this there is no descent or lapse into the deluding bondage of karma.
Acharya Vidyasagar explains this in very simple language in the course of this rich poetic creation, Mookmati. He thus alludes to the fundamental philosophy of Jainism in his foreword.
A philosophy to be effective must have its fundamental bearings on the bed-rock of human experience, in consonance with life on this earth. It must be pragmatic and give solutions to the day to day problems man faces in his journey on this planet, the earth, which is symbolically mati or mud. Hence the Acharya touches on all the important facets of life. He believes in all-round integral growth and not the lopsided one which restricts it in the narrow bonds. This pragmatic element is well brought out in this important creative poem Mookmati. He makes it clear that Dharma is the way of living a pure and meaningful life. He, therefore, discusses in the poems, the social needs and the necessity of equality and social justice for social balance and good-will amongst mankind. The need of non-violence, friendship, fraternity are all emphasised with ethical rigor. He discusses about the political, educational and religious aspects, which when put to right and righteous use, make human life sublime. It then becomes a fore-runner for peace and well being, for all mankind and helps to knit them as one, 'world-family. While showing the sublime path of progress, he cautions man to avoid the pitfalls of evil tendencies that creep even in the good institutions and mar their virtuous functions. These evils have to be eradicated by inculcating the exalted
