Way of Life Part 4

Author(s): Bhadraguptasuri
Publisher: Vishvakalyan Prakashan Trust Mehsana

Page 54

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THE WAY OF LIFE
one, indifference and ill-treatment will be the result. Continuous co-existence brings about indifference and contempt. EXCESS BRINGS ABOUT INDIFFERENCE
How tremendous is the greatness and efficacy of the Shatrunjaya tirtha in Bharath (India) (The most sacred Jain pilgrim centre)! People from far and near go to Palithana. They go on a pilgrimage to that place with abounding devotion. But if we ask the people who live in Palithana how many times they visit the pilgrim centre, they will tell us, if they speak the truth, that they do not have any extraordinary interest in visiting the temple.
Once we went to Nasik. Nasik (Panchavati) is a great pilgrim-centre for Hindus. Bathing in the river there, is greatly efficacious. But I saw personally that the people living in Nasik were washing their clothes in the river and desecrating the river with their excretions. They were too familiar with the tirtha; so they were indifferent towards it. On account of this, Jain families do not live in the Jain pilgrim centres. Hence, they have greater devotion for their pilgrim-centres.
Is there devotion in the hearts of the priests who live in the temples and worship the Paramatma? On account of too much familiarity with the idol of the Paramatma, people treat the idol with indifference. If you go to temples and observe the actions of the priests there, you will be able to see in how many ways priests disrespect the image. In the cold wintry season, priests worship the idol without taking a bath. While worshipping the lord now and then they come out a little to smoke beedis or cigarrettes. Again after smoking they go into the temple and worship the Paramatma, They do not have this feeling in their hearts, "He is my Lord”.
In the same manner, the shravaks and shravikas who remain in the temples for long hours every day also treat the idol of the Lord in the way in which the priests treat the idol. I have personally noticed in some temples that when the ablutions are being performed to the idol, the shravaks who wipe the wetness of the idol keep gossiping among themselves. Even the shravikas seated there keep gossiping among themselves.