Walk With Me

Author(s): Chandanaji Acharya, Vastupal Parikh
Publisher: Veerayatan

Page 19

Ch. 1: The Disciple - Indrabhuti Gautam
Who are these people anyway? Why are we prohibited from speaking with Arhats? This
perplexes me. If Arhats are outcastes, why does our Padma Purana warmly describe the Arhat dharma as good, the Satpath Brahmana describe the Arhats as superior beings, and Vishnu Purana mentions 'Arhat dharma' as the one that opposed I do not
Vedic practices. understand why the Arhats are
opposed to our yagnya rituals; do they have a better way to seek God's mercy? If so, shouldn't the Vedas have written about it? The Bhagwat Puranas talk about two ancient Arhat yogis, Rishabha, (the son of Nabhiputra) and his son Bharat. While there are so many references in the Vedas to these great yogis, there is hardly any mention of their yogic philosophy. All we know is that they reject the Vedas, but worship atma!
Jain Terminology
Sraman Dharma followers Soul Dharma Spiritual philosophy Ganadhar Group leader Gotra Family class Karmakand Rituals ➤ Nirvana Death
Purusha God; Man
Arhats
➤ Atma
Samosaran Religious conference Sraman A spiritual philosophy
➤
Tapa
➤ Vratya Yagnya
The Upanishads, written during the past few hundred years, have mentioned the concept of atma and its purification. The Mundaka Upanishad even states,
Penance
Arhats, Vow keepers Sacrificial fire ceremony
"The fools who delight in the sacrificial rituals as the highest spiritual good go again and again through the cycle of old age and death. Those who practice penance (tapa) and their faith in the forest, the tranquil ones, the 'knower' of truth, living the life of wandering mendicancy - they purify their atma and depart, freed from passion, through the door of the Sun, to where dwells the immortal Purusha, the imperishable param-atma".
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