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JAINA SYMBOLISM
93 which means that the six schools of philosophy are part and parcel of one organic whole, but if one is taken by itself it becomes a false doctrine. Mango tree and Six persons
There is another symbol of the Jainas, and that is the mango tree and six persons. They were members of the same club. They wanted to taste the mango fruit, and went to a mango grove. They approached a mango tree, and one said : “These are very beautiful and very delicious, and we must cut down the tree.” Another said : "We don't want all the mangoes, let us cut the principal branch.” And another said : “Let us take a smaller branch.” And another “We don't want even so many, we will take one minor branch, that will be enough for us." And the fifth said, “Let us pluck only ripe fruits.” The last said : “We don't want even so many. What is the use of destroying or cutting the tree; it is a part of Nature, and if you can have sufficient number of mangoes that have fallen to the ground let us take them only and not cut the tree.” Some think this to be the symbol of laziness, but it is not. It is teaching the saving of life. It teaches also not to sacrifice too much for a limited purpose. If you have an object in view then the means resorted to ought to be commensurate with the end. Symbol of OM
The symbol common to all religions in India is 'Om'. It in Brahmin philosophy consists of three letters, viz. A, U, and M. When these three letters are joined together, by the rules of euphony it is sounded OM. The Brahmins explain this symbol to mean the creative, the preservative and the destructive principles. When the letter A is pronounced, the breath comes out from the throat, which signifies emanation or creation. The letter U keeps the breath in the mouth for a time and, therefore, is the symbol of the preservative principle. The letter M stops the breath for a time and lets it out through a different channel the nostrils, and symbolizes destruction and regeneration. Instead of dividing this symbol into three letters we Jainas divide it into five : A, A, A, U, M.
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