Book Title: Tirthankar Mahavir and His Sarvodaya Tirth
Author(s): Hukamchand Bharilla, K C Lalwani
Publisher: Kundkund Kahan Digambar Jain Trust
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BHAGAVAN MAHAVIRA : PREVIOUS BIRTHS
So one who is in search of the soul need not be anxious about the instrument. The means is not an end, nor is the end lost in the absence of a means But the position is that when the end is ripe for realisation, the means comes itself, without any striving or seeking. It is because of their ignorance that living beings make an unsuccessful effort for collecting favourable means rejecting unfavourable ones.
Moreover, the end does not fructify as per means; the means arises as per the end. When the lion as a lion acquired the true religion, the monks became the means; but when Marici failed Risabhadeva did not. A means is a means only when justified by the end. Since the lion could see the right path, he developed a natural devotion for the monks; but since this did not happen in the case of Maricı, the latter did not acquire any respect for Risabhadeva
Again, it is not really the means which gives the end; when the end is attained, something is given the attribution of the means What a paradox that for the same soul which was in Marici, even such a competent teacher as Risabha became the means of his malice, and when the soul was encased in the lion, even two ordinary Carana monks became a means of his selfrealisation. So it is the preparation of the soil, the maturity of the recipient which is really important, and not the means which is no more than secondary.
In brief, it may be said that in the life of Maricı, there was a total lack of effort to look inside, immaturity in that species, non-attainment of time for liberation and the dominance of falsehood were the main factors for his rebirth again and again. All these factors had changed by now. The lion could take a look inside, he was perfectly mature now, the time was ripe for his ending the cycles of rebirth and karma binding the tie of falsehood were fast fading out, these were the main instruments now. In this gamut, the works of the monks took an appropriate position; but they were not by any means the main factor.
Although in the attainment of success in anything there are five contributing factors, the most outstanding of these is a
