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Walk With Me
"I know that
Suddenly I heard the sweetest words ever. "Welcome Goyama", Mahavir was actually welcoming me from the podium! you are puzzled about the permanence and impermanence of atma, but the real confusion is in your interpretation of a sloka in the Vedas. Can it not be interpreted as, 'Everything is impermanent, changeable, as well as permanent'."*
Mahavir called me "Goyama"? He - a stranger called me by my favorite name the name my mother had for me! How did he know? Without my asking, he has answered all my questions. How did he read my mind? I feel tremendously overwhelmed by his wisdom. I was soaking up his knowledge full of kindness and love. Suddenly, I was free of all egos, free of the burden of being the greatest pundit. No more babbling of meaningless mantras! I was free of my shackles. I was in the presence of a divine being! I was already experiencing a continuous flow of infinite wisdom and courage!
As I looked up, a bright, divine light from the podium miraculously flooded my soul. "Is this the intruder? What a radiant personality! What a divine figure! How brilliant are those eyes!" I was bathed in his radiance. Indeed, all my questions were answered. He had already empowered me, and given me courage to abandon the sacrificial ritual ceremony. What a serene sight! What a loving embodiment of kindness! I could not take my eyes off of this man. I wanted nothing but
* Mahavir first corrected Indrabhuti's misinterpretation of the Vedic sloka - વિજ્ઞાનધન એવૈતેભ્યો ભૂતેભ્યઃ સમુત્થાય તાફ઼ેવાનુ વિનશ્યતિ ન પ્રેત્ય સંજ્ઞાસ્તિઇતિ, and in the end said ઉપન્નેઇવા, વિગમેઇવા, વેઇવા”. (Everything is impermanent, changeable, as well as permanent.)
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