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THE SAMETSHIKHAR AFFAIRS.
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ment in the said casc describing the beart of even women and children, practices observed by the Jains on and the Jains will never never forgive visiting the Hill, to show that every it. . part of the Hill is equally an object of At a time when the Jains are deepadoration to them, and to give an idea ly plunged in grief, when they are of the depth of veneration with which sinarting under such brutal excruciathey look upon the sacred place.“When tion, at such a juncture, to scolf at they first get a view ofthe hill,they adore their religious susceptibilities, to sneer it and perform an act of worship. et them, is simply driving them to Then the highit before they ascend, desperation. Knowing full well that they perform the 'Arati' of the Hill & Jain leads such an innocent life as which is a sort of illumination in its never to deprive any sentiant being honour. Then they cominence - their of his life, however mean he may be reworship at the foot of the Hill; they
ckoned to be,to say that your threat to ascend barefoot, the wealthy scatte- join the unrestful' elements is a hullow ring milk and saffron along the road. one is simply stage thunder,do:s it not Then they perform another Pujah at amount to saying that your religion Sita-nala half way up. They are for- has made you cowards? Is it nit bidden to eat, drink or perform the ing them to break through the wholeoffices of nature upon the Hill, and some restraint of their religion? Is it fastly as a crowning act of the pilgri- not playing the part of Iago an:l sugmage they compass the Hill rouoi gesting to them the nefarious course before they quit the place.” Not of becoming fanatics or anarchists.? only the pilgrim visiting the holy "Exactly the same view lias bcen Hill, but every Jain in India, as a taken by an English Primo pial of part of his daily religious duties, a Calcutta college, who has remarked remembers everyday with reverence “We are goading these men into disthe name of the Maho-tirthi Samet- loyalty by our brutal lack of symshikherji, and the vast number of pathy. Is that to be wondercil at? Hymns proclaiming its glory found in When you trample on a man's tendethe Jain ritual, the substance of which
rest feelings and sentiments do you is (sibh sisa Cavel 2440t) that an in.
espect bim to be grateful for it?". finite number of human beings have
Remember that people gencrully fly attained final beatitude (Noksha) on
from one extreme to the other. The every stone of it, all bear testimony to the same fact. And now, to put it Babu was provorbial for his cowardice, briefly, the desecrating order of the and that telf-same Babu. las now Government is tantamount to a fiat become an anarchist. Action is inthat the Jains should either amend variably followed by reaction, and let their ritual or draw & red line over it! all rest assured that the reaction will This piece of effrontery has gone to the sooner or later come, and that too
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
