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(7)
Appeal for Unity
On the occasion of the festival of Panch Kalyanak installation, under the auspices of Panch Kalyanak Samiti and Jain Social Group, Jain Conference was organised in Liester (England) from 21 July 1988 to 23 July 1988. Several important personalities from different parts of the world had gathered to participate in this, amongst them Bhattarak Shri Charukirtiji, Shravanbelgola (Karnatak), Sarvashri Shrenik Bhai Kastur Bhai, Ahmedabad, Sahu Ashok Kumarji Jain, Delhi, Deepchandji Gardi, Bombay, Ratanlalji Gangwal, Calcutta and Nirmal Kumarji Sethi, Lucknow, etc. were prominent.
The part of the International Jain Conference in which I was to deliver a lecture was to be presided by Shri Nirmal Kumarji Sethi. Therefore, we were together on the stage; he also gave my introduction to the community present there. In that conference, I had expressed my views on the Unity of the Jain Community and Vegetarianism, the brief summary of which is as under
It is a matter of great pleasure that on this great occasion all the sects of Jain community are present and accomplishing all activities jointly.
When the most pious water of Ganges, which can purify even the most dirty things, is kept confined in gourds, then its quality to clean and purify others gets extinguished, it becomes dirty itself by mere touch of others.
All take bath in the holy water of Ganges, without any discrimination and experience the feeling of piousness but when people fill Ganges water in their gourds, then that water does not any longer remain Ganges water but becomes water of Brahamin, water of Khastriya (warrior), water of Shudra (menial).
If the gourd of a person belonging to one caste is touched by a per
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APPEAL FOR UNITY
son of another caste, the water is considered impure. It is said, "Why did you touch my water?" The very Ganges water that used to purify everything, itself became impure on being stored in gourd. Not only its quality of purifying others got extinguished, it also started getting unholy by touch of others.
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Similarly, when Jinvani, which is like the Ganges water and capable of purifying all, gets confined in various gourds like sects, then it loses that quality which pacifies the minds of others instead these become the causes of conflict between various sects. Therefore, it is most appropriate that the Ganges water remains in the Ganges only, it should not be filled in gourds.
If the gourds filled with Ganges water and lying on the bank of Ganges spread untouchability, then what is the remedy to overcome this malady?
Brothers, the only one remedy is to break the gourds; because there is no impurity in the water, it is as pious as it was; defect is in the gourds. When gourds are broken Ganges water would get mixed with Ganges water only; as soon as it mixes with Ganges water, it would acquire same purity, it would also regain the power to purify, which existed prior to its confinement in gourds.
In the same manner, Jainism divided in various sects, which is causing unpleasant sectoral odour, has been the cause of conflict; if they become free, they would attain purity easily; and with its strength of purity it would brighten not only the Jain community but also the entire world and show the grand path to happiness and peace.
We have ourselves raised several walls due to ignorance. Walls of sects, walls of castes, walls of language, walls of States; there are walls all around and these walls are becoming taller all the time.
'Diwal' is called 'wall' in English. Today we are divided between these walls. Someone is Khendalwal, someone Agarwal, someone Oswal; but no Jain is visible anywhere.
In case we demolish these walls and all submerge in this ocean of Jainism then we can spread Jinvani to masses and by reaching to masses,
