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Sugandha: Sweet Fragrance
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telling her of his joy and pride, which were also, he assured her, those of the samgha and which redounded to the honour of the dharma. In spite of the distance he assures her that whoever has unshakeable faith in the guru remains always in the heart of the guru; now, he knows how much confidence she has in him and he reminds her, moreover, of the help that she is receiving from Sādhvi Kūmām. These messages were for her a source of joy and courage and she said that this unity with the ācārya was imparting to her the energy which was upholding her.
Maháprasthana
On the morning of the twenty-second day of this fast, the ātman of Sādhvi Ratnavati abandoned her body which, after being a handicap to her for so many years and an obstacle to her spiritual progress, had become the very instrument of this rapid final advance. In the history of the Terāpanthis this was a striking event, for never had a saṁstāra been seen to last so long and to be lived out with such lucidity and in so heightened a state of awareness. We are told that a fervent throng of about five thousand persons accompanied the body on its last journey, uttering joyful acclamations, cries of victory in honour of the tirtharkaras and of this humble śramani who had shown indomitable courage and so strong a faith in the dharma.
It would be quite improper to try to analyse that which defies all analysis. One can simply gather together respectfully certain ones of Sādhvi Ratnavati's replies that give one a glimpse of a state of being, of an experience. To the question put by several people: "Why this fast?", she replied that it was to awaken the ātman. To another question: "Was it an urge towards tapas that first of all made its presence felt in you or did you first acquire knowledge". The nature of this knowledge and the degree thereof is not made clear either in the question or the reply. These short dialogues, which took place in highly unusual circumstances, constituted a break-through into the existential, they resembled neither a discussion nor an investigation. Yet her attitude and words during this final period give the impression that she had, during the years of illness, pondered, matured, penetrated into the meaning of the Scriptures and that a slow inner development had been taking place within her which culminated in this decision to
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