Shrimad Rajchandra And Mahatma Gandhi

Author(s): Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: Raj Saubhag Satsang Mandal

Page 80

Shrimad Rajchandra's Message
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was only through over-riding the wishes of his disciples. The true devotee never desires anything from God, and if they have even the slightest desire, then they can never attain the supreme love."
Shrimad often spoke about dogmatism and sectarianism. Just because one is born in a particular religion or that one has managed to master some of the major scriptures of a particular faith, does not automatically lead to attaining the spiritual goal. Though he had firm faith in the path of absolute detachment and the fact that the Jain faith was a leading religion that helped rid one of likes, dislikes and delusion, and attain self-realisation, he did not believe that being born in the religion was enough. One had to cultivate the right qualities and virtues to be called a true Jain!
In this context, Shri Tribhuvandas Bhanjibhai asked Shrimad, “What is the extent to which a Jain should be honest and upright in his life?” In reply, Shrimad pointed to the dome of the Mumbai High Court that was some distance away and said, “A Jain's honesty and forthrightness should be no less than that of a high court judge."
What Shrimad meant was that a Jain should be so honest and ethical that no one dares doubt his character and uprightness. A Jain's honesty and integrity should be so widely known that in the event of anyone making even a cursory remark about Jains being dishonest, the listener should be able to ignore the remark.
Thus the first step towards the attainment of liberation and the first move forward towards the practise of true religion is to shed dogmatic beliefs and preconceived notions.