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THE WAY OF LIFE
The ninety eight brothers in order to get rid of the bondage of karmas renounced worldly life and became shramans. They remained with Lord Rishabhdev and began to destory their karmas by means of knowledge, meditation and spiritual austerities.
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CONTEMPLATION ALSO MUST BE POSITIVE
Think of this with a calm mind. Realise how efficacious it would be if you contemplate on the spiritual discourses that you hear. They approached the Bhagawan to seek his consent for the war that they wanted to wage against Bharatha; but impelled by the Bhagawan's exhortations they became shramans and began to fight against their karmas. This was the result of their positive contemplation.
Bahubali, of course, did not go to the Bhagawan. He fought a terrible war against Bharat. While he was fighting against Bharat, suddenly there arose a thought in his mind. He plucked off the hair of his head with his hand, which he had lifted to deal a deadly blow to Bharat and on the battle-field, he became a shraman. It is not always necessary that a sublime contemplation should arise in the mind of a man on hearing an exhortation. Even if a man does not hear discourses and exhortations, there may arise in his heart a spontaneous and sublime contemplation.
After becoming a shraman, he remained standing there. He did not go to Rishabhdev. Do you know why he did not go to the Lord? He did not go there. If he went there, he would have to bow his head to his ninety eight younger brothers who had become kevaljnanis. Such a principle has to be observed by a shraman. He thought in a negative manner of the situation. "Now, I will not go to the Bhagawan. If I go there I will have to salute my younger brothers. I will go there after I too attain kevaljnan. Then I need not salute anyone".
At that time, there was no one who could make him realise that he could not attain kevaljnan as long as he engaged himself in such negative contemplations. Kevaljnan or supreme
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