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of ignorance. Whatever issues from him is potent enough to abrogate the miseries of the tormented humanity. Hundreds of souls get spiritually converted. His presence is supremely enlightening. Even his body causes amazement to Indra in spite of his beholding it with 2 thousand eyes. Since he has transcended the limited human nature and is revered and worshipped even by celestial beings, he is the supreme Atman. Thus he is the embodiment of mystical virtues, and is the spiritual leader of society. He is beyond attachment aversion and infatuation, and consequently, he is absolutely dispassionate. By virtue of his intuitively apprehending the nature of reality, all his doubts have been resolved. By reason of his self-realization, he has transcended the dualities of friends and enemies, pleasure and pain, praise and censure, life and death, sand and gold.
The Arahanta is the omniscient being. He, therefore, neither accepts nor abandons, nor transforms the external objectivity, but only witnesses and apprehends the world of objects without entering into them. Just as the eyes see the objects of sight. The knowledge, which is independent, perfect, immaculate, intuitive and extended to infinite things of the universe may be identified with bliss on account of the absence of discomposure arising from the knowledge which is dependent, imperfect, maculate, mediate and extended to limited things. In other words, the consciousness of the Arahanta is not only omnipotent and intuitive but also blissful. Bliss is naturally consequent upon the destruction of the undesirable and accomplishment of the desirable. Thus the Arahanta experiences unprecedented bliss which originates from the innermost beings of self and which is supersensuous, unique, infinite and interminable. We may conclude by saying that the cognitive, conative and affective
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Spiritual Awakening (Samyagdarśana) and Other Essays
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