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Sallekhanā by Ācārya sāntisāgar
103
word Om would gain liberation. Everybody says that life and matter are different but very few have the faith in that principle. The characteristics of both are different. Our task is to strive for attainment of perfect happiness for our soul, but our karmas have worked havoc with our soul. The mohanīya karma has created such veil of infatuation that we have all forgotten the Reality. The darśana-mohaniya karma has affected the very fundamentals of our faith. So also about our conduct. What is it that we can do? We should try to destroy the destructive karmas in order to regain our Right Faith and Restraint. Since times immemorial, the ātma has been suffering births and deaths. Kundakundācārya has given a clear exposition of all these points in his great books : Samayasara, Niyamasāra, Pravacanasāra, Pañcāstikaya and the eight Pāhudas. But who has the Faith in these scriptures? If any person desires to elevate his own soul from the saṁsāra, he ought to develop his Faith and find out how he could realize happiness. We can destroy our dar sanāvaranīya and mohanīya karmas by ātma-cintana - self-contemplation. Charity and worship bring in only merit (punya). Even pilgrimages bring in only merit. But to acquire Kevala Jñāna (Perfect Knowledge ), we must cultivate the science of contemplation and practise it as long as it is possible every day. You cannot destroy your karmas without Right Faith and Right Knowledge. Cultivate control of your body, mind and speech. Try to attain the state of a muni. You can aspire for salvation by contemplation and destruction of all the karmas, that is the word of Jina. In sum, compassion is the basis of religion; Ahimsa and Truth form the foundation of Jainism. We speak of all this but few of us practise the principles in actual life. We must translate these principles into action. Therein lies our salvation.”
The Acarya maintained his peace and happy attitude of mind till the last. Most of the time he would be deeply engrossed in meditation. At times, he would repeat the namokāra mantra. Those who sat near him heard him saying
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