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Means of Self-Realization soul is very difficult to achieve, unless one follows a pious teacher's orders, have succeeded, in giving up sinful acts and achieving the goal of self-realization. 52 In the very beginning of Ācārāriga sūtra, is stated the importance of a pious teacher in the following statements :
Few people know that they have come from either East, West etc.... because of their own knowledge of past. life (jātismarana jñāna) , or from an enlightened person or from a pious teacher, who has heard from the enlightened. Here the reference to knowledge of past lives also suggests that the aspirant was fortunate to have an association of a pious teacher in past lives, which helped him know that he is a soul, wandering from one life to another. In Ācārārigasūtra, it is also said, “āņãe dhammo, āņãe tavo" ( to follow the orders is religion and also penance). Mahāvīra has said that innumerable souls have attained liberation by surrendering and obeying pious teachers.53 śrīmad has quoted the following sentence of Śrī Śankarācārya. “Kșanamapi sajjanasarigatirekā, bhavati bhavārnavatarane naukā” 54 It means that a company of a pious person even for a moment helps one to sail this sca of birth and death and reach the other shore, Srimad has
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