Universal Message of Lord Mahavira

Author(s): Dulichand Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 15

The Eternal Message of Jaina Wisdom 5
karma originates from infatuation; karma is the root cause of birth and death and these (birth and death) are said to be the source of misery. He further adds, "None can escape the effect of their own past karmas.
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Conquest of Passion
Lord Mahāvīra was a great believer in soul, godliness, karma and rebirth. According to him, a man should lift his soul by his own efforts. He says, "The soul is the begetter of both happiness and sorrow; it is its own friend when it treads the path of righteousness and is its own enemy when it treads the forbidden path." The pre-requisite to the path of righteousness is to conquer the four passions, viz., anger, pride, deceit and greed, and the five sense organs. He says, "Conquer anger by forgiveness, pride by humility, deceit by straight-forwardness and greed by contentment. According to Mahāvīra, conquering one's own self is the most difficult thing. He never ignored this aspect in his preaching. He says, "Victory over one's own self is greater than conquering thousands and thousands of enemies on the battle-field. A true conqueror is one who conquers his own self."
Futility of Material Comforts
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Lord Mahāvīra says that all material comforts and pleasures can never satiate anybody and give him true happiness. He preached the doctrine of non-possession to limit the desires for worldly pursuits. He says, "It is owing to attachment that a person commits violence, utters lies, commits theft, indulges in sex and develops a yearning for unlimited hoardings." Possessiveness and greed are the main causes, which create tension in the life of an individual and also in the society at large. Hence, an aspirant should limit his possessions and desires to the minimum extent.
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