Spiritual Enlightenment

Author(s): Yogindu Deva, A N Upadhye
Publisher: Radiant Publishers

Page 80

Spiritual Enlightenment
because of Sneha (oil, and also attachment) are sprinkled with water, pressed under feet and crushed repeatedly. Successful and virtuous are those persons who easily swim across, when they have fallen in the pond of youth. The great Jinas abdicated their thrones and reached liberation, then how is it that persons who are maintaining themselves by begging should not achieve their spiritual good? The souls wandering in Samsara have suffered great miseries, and hence by destroying eight Karmas they should achieve liberation. The beings cannot put up with a bit of misery: then how is it that they can afford to incur Karmas which bring manifold miseries in the four grades of existence? The whole world being entangled in the turmoil foolishly incurs Karman, and not a moment is devoted to the rescue of the self. Till the great knowledge, viz. omniscience is attained, the soul, suffering misery and infatuated with sons and wives, wanders in millions of births. The souls should never claim ownership over the house, relations and body: they are the creations of Karman as understood from the scriptures by the saints. Thoughts about residence and relations bring no release: the mind should be applied to austerities (which bring about the destruction of Karmas) that Moksha might be reached. (113-124)
One has to suffer for the sins that one has incurred by killing manifold beings for the benefit of his sons and wives. One has to suffer infinitely more pain than that one has inflicted on the beings by crushing and killing them. Harm unto living being leads one to hell and the shelter unto them to heaven; these are the two paths all that are available one should select whichsoever one likes. (125-127)
Everything here is ephemeral: it is of no use to pound the husk; even the body does not accompany the soul; the mind, therefore, should be directed to the pure path of liberation without any attachment for relatives and residence. Temples, (images of) gods, scriptures, Teachers, holy places, Vedas (religious texts) and poems and the tree that has put forth flowers: all this shall be the fuel (in the fire of time). Excepting one Brahman, (i.e., Paramatman) the whole world is earthly