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himself was able to save England from destruction once, his inspiration has been her salvation not once, not twice but repeatedly. The great sailor is now dead; he may no longer command the fleet of England in the hour of danger; he may win no more laurels for himself or victories for his country; but his spirit and influence survive. For there is not a sailor lad in the whole of the United Kingdom who does not brighten up at the mention of Nelson's name, who does not reverently recognise him as a model of greatness for himself, who does not draw powerful inspiration from his life. The nation that placed the statue of this great man in a conspicuous part of the capital of their country knew they were not merely erecting a statue to the memory of a dead man, but laying the foundation stone of their own greatness for generations to come. Such is the true significance of 'Nelson-worship' which takes place on the Trafalgar Day annually. It is not idolatry that we can charge against the English, but idealatry, which, if a fault, is one that has been the source of unparalleled greatness to the culprit !
The Jaina form of worship is, similarly, an instance of idealatry, for devotion to God in Jainism only means devotion to the attributes of divinity which the devotee wishes to develop in his soul, and consists in the blending of the fullest measure of love and respect for those Great Ones who have evolved out those very attributes to perfection in their own case. The Jainas ask for nothing from their Tirthamkaras; no prayers are ever offered to Them, no are They supposed to be granting boons to Their devotees. They are not worship ped because worship is pleasing to Them, but because it is the source of the greatest good-the attainment of godly perfection to our owr souls. As said in the Key of Knowledge, the causal connection between the ideal of the soul and the worshipping of Those who have already realized it is to be found in the fact that the realization of an ideal demands one's whole-hearted attention, and is only possible by following in the footsteps of those who have actually reached the same goal. It is this idea which a great English poet has immortalized ir the following words :--
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