Science Discovers Eternal Wisdom

Author(s): Amarendravijay, J D Lodaya, Bhuvanchandra
Publisher: Jain Sahitya Academy

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'trendy' now a days. Under such conditions, I had, for long, felt the need of the presentation of the scriptural truths in a form that would enable the present generation as well as the one that is to be groomed for the future to form the right frame of mind to evaluate spiritual truths in their proper perspective.
It was merely a chance occurrence that led me to give a concrete shape to this idea. During the monsoon of 1968 a.d., our twenty-eight member monastic group was stationed at Pindwara under the stewardship of rev. Shri Hemantvijayji. He had proposed that during the ensuing paryusana - an eight-day Jain festival (similar to Christmas of Christian faith), the eight-day discourse sessions on the highly esteemed Jain scripture - Kalpasutram - be led on each day by a different member by turns who would deliver the discourse of the day. Accordingly, I was assigned to give a talk on the sixth chapter of Kalpasutram which covers the topic of 'Ganadhar-vada' - the first dialogue between Lord Mahavir and his arch-disciples. It contains a reference to the episode of how the eleven most brilliant scholars of the time including the highly acclaimed Indrabhuti Gautam accept discipleship at the feet of Lord Mahavir; They did so because they felt very enlightened by the masterly exposition of Lord Mahavir on the themes like soul, Karma, the yonder world, rebirth etc. which dispelled all the doubts that had plagued their minds for so long.
In this context, it is customary to dilate upon theosophical niceties and ideological hair-splitting between various schools of religious thought, ostensibly with a view to consolidating the faith of the audience in Jainism, I, however, felt that a change in style was called for, because it would be too much to expect that the present-day audience would benefit from such verbiage. The listener today suffers from self-doubt with his intuitive faith leaning one way while reality of scientific
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