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Life And Works Of śrīmad Rajchandra childhood he believed this concept but after his study and research of Jain and other religions he came to believe that an idol also is useful for awakening one's real nature, as it is a symbol of a Jina or a Vītarāga and can remind an aspirant that he also has to become a Vitarāga. He was also very much pained to see the quarrels and hatred among Svetāmbara and Digambara sects of the Jain which are the two branches of the same tree. He was similarly pained to see the many sub-sects of the above-mentioned two sects of the Jain. He has often very painfully said that these sub-sects have come up as the result of the ego and ignorance of the so called teachers or ācāryas about the true religion of the Jinas. He was very sorry that they have forgotten the aim of ātma-jñāna and yet they are trying to teach what ātmajñāna is. Naturally they are unable to do so. For preaching ātma-jñāna, he himself wanted to totally renounce the worldly life and do it. But he could not do so. In his writings we find that he has always tried to bridge the differences between different sects of the Jains. Pandit Sukhalalji has, in 1922 A. D., said that it was Śrīmad who had started the work of uniting the above mentioned two sects and the third, Sthānakaraasi by deeply studying their scriptures and reflecting over them.72 Thus it becomes adequately evident that Srimad
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