Tirthankar Mahavir and His Sarvodaya Tirth

Author(s): Hukamchand Bharilla, K C Lalwani
Publisher: Kundkund Kahan Digambar Jain Trust

Page 41

BHAGAVAN MAHAVIRA PREVIOUS BIRTHS
31
had avaiable at his service 18 crore horses, 84 lakh elephants and 96 thousand most beautiful wives In the midst of such an affluence, he lived for a very long time, without even knowing how long he had lived. One day the Emperor had gone with his near and dear ones to pay homage to a great Jina Ksemankara by name Having paid his homage and obeisance, he took a suitable seat. Thus came out the flow of words form the lips of the great Jina:
"The nature of a thing is dharma. The nature of the soul is knowledge and happiness. The categories which reveal themselves with the help of the soul which by its nature is knowledge and happiness is dharma. It is an embodiment of right knowledge, right faith and right conduct. These three combined into one is the road to liberation Liberation means liberation from misery, from delusion, attachment and greed. If one desires to end misery, he must know himself, recognise himself and merge himself within self, lose himself within self So long as the soul does not know himself, recognise himself till then, by confusing self with others, it continues to be a victim of distortions like delusion, attachment, greed, etc
"Distortions like delusion, attachment, greed, etc, constitute the worldly life and are the cause of this life; they constitute misery and are the cause of misery. The soul which is eternal in all the three times is the embodiment of happiness, its cause. To be confused with others, with categories, is worldly life; it is misery. The best succour is that which is distinct from others, from constants and variable categories, which is by nature knowledge and joy, which is conscious and eternal That itself is the embodiment of dharma, and with the help of this, dharma appears in categories.
"So one who desires to have happiness, who desires the good of self, who is keen for liberation, he should know himself, get fully immersed within himself. It is not necessary to run about in search of happiness. Your own pleasure is within you, not within somebody else, not even in Paramesvara (God). So it is useless to look upon happiness as a grace from above. You are thy own master. You yourself are the eternal fund