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planets on a ring or the Puja-stool to be made. As space was available some more names of jewels are given. Some jewels associated with nine planets are found from the earth, some from the sea-bottom and some from the mines. The jewels are classified as Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shoodra, when these jewels are found they are alive and have only one sense i.e. only one body. They have no nose, eyes, ears etc. and after being dissociated from their source they become lifeless through external air and light.
45. The seven best Kshetras shown in Jain religion for service, religious practice devotion slms etc. In Jain religion Punya means a good action-Karma. When the Karma is in ascendence, it gives the person happiness, peace, prosperity, success and a better state etc. There are seven factors which bind a being to good actions. These seven factors are called Punyakshetra. These seven factors - Kshetras are shown in the strip. They are: 1. The Jin-icon, 2. Jin temple, 3. Knowledge, 4. Jain ascetic, 5. Jain female ascetic, 6. Shravaka and 7. Shravika. Jains have immense faith and confidence in all these seven Kshetras. The first Kshetra is a Jin-icon and the second one is Jin-temple. Jains have great faith in getting the Bhagawan's icon inade and their installation as well as for constructions of Jin-temples. Jains have great feeling for spending maximum amount for it. Before about 40 years an intelligent person had asked me, "Maharaj saheb, people donate very little for the cause of education, for helping Jain brethren and for knowledge while they donate thousands and lacs of rupees within no time for the construction of a Jin temple. What is the reason?" The question was asked for the first time. Replying was not so easy. As the mind entered the depth of thought, the answer was found out immediately and I was pleased to answer and the audience became spell-bound. The answer was:"In Jain religion the good action is shown to have many types, rising higher and higher. The best action among them all is said to be Tirthankara Namakarma. It is natural that people would be instinctively attracted to such highest type of action." The third Kshetra is that of knowledge. Knowledge is light and mankind can attain welfare only with the support of light. So attaining true knowledge, to help others to attain the same and to inspire all who do good attaches a man to good actions. To create monuments for the protection of knowledge, to publish books, to spend money to educate others, to resort to self-study through sermons and to honour books will remove all obstructions to knowledge and in any one of the births the soul may attain supreme enlightenment and be entitled to the spiritual bliss of spiritual liberation Then there are two Kshetras for ascetics and female ascetics. To pay visits to ascetics and female ascetics, to bow down to them, to offer food, medicine, dress, accomodation etc. and to practise devotion to ascetics and female ascetics is necessary for the destruction of Moha niya and other sorts of actions and for securing Punya,sacrificing everything for non-violence, observing fivefold great vows and always engaged in doing good to all those ascetics and female ascetics associate people with religious and spiritual Kshetras and make them travellers on the path of spiritual liberation. The last two Kshetras are those of Shravakas and Shravikas. The attachment to merits - non-violence, control over the senses, Penance and for saking is caused by giving them all facilities so that they can live well and can practise Jain religion well. Thus the devotion for all the seven Kshetras would help the soul to go higher and higher on the path to spiritual liberation.
46. EIGHT NOVEL TYPES OF OBEISANCE
Jain scriptures have shown various types of obeisance which are eight in number. Here they are shown with their types, their technical names, their illustrations, through the illustrations of the four constituents of Samgha. An illustration about obeisance of this type is in 'Namaskar Swadhyaya' published by Jain sahitya vikas mandal. In the middle only the face of Bhagawan Mahavira is placed. 47. The six principal religions of India, the number of their followers and their respective prayers The strip shows the number of the followers of the six different religions in our present India. Mark the symbols of six religions shown in this strip. Unfortunately there is no definite symbol which can be pointed out as that of Jainism. This is a sad state of affairs for Jain community. However, here we have placed the symbol of a Swastika. The crescent of the Muslims and the cross of the Christians are world-famous symbols but we don't have a symbol famous in India. Here, apart from the six religions there are hundreds of religious sects with a small number of followers. There is no definite census-figure available for these major and minor communities following various religions. Then who would decide their symbols? That being impossible, a question mark had to be placed before a standing man. (Prakirna means in various ways.) The census- figures of the followers of these six religions are written here as per census-figures of 1971. There the population of Jains is shown as 2.6 millions. This figure isn't reliable. The population of Jains is more than 5 millions but at the time of the census unaware and ignorant persons get their names recorded as Hindus in the space for Hindus. Hence it is regrettable that the true population of Jains can't be recorded. No association came forward to take up such work which is inevitable in democracy. If the Acharyas and the leaders who know the present situation become alert, this task, though difficult is not impossible. Will the Jain community entangled in deep sleep become politically conscious for its own inevitable good? In this strip the prayers of all the six religions are given. There is some similarity of words between the prayers of Jains and Bauddhas. This is why the historians look upon Jainism and Buddhism as branches of Shraman culture.
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