OshwalNewsI - Oshwal Centre
OshwalNewsI - Oshwal Centre
OshwalNewsI - Oshwal Centre
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Happy Diwali - <strong>Oshwal</strong> News<br />
Mahavir the Ascetic was not<br />
a Man in a Hurry<br />
By Manish Modi<br />
The nature of reality is dynamic. Reality is influenced by free<br />
will and determination. Were we to believe, however, that<br />
determination alone is the final verdict, then we would be<br />
niyativadis, not Jains. Free will alone does not determine all events.<br />
Our past karmas determine our prarabdha , or fate. Our present<br />
karmas determine our purusartha, or focused efforts towards a<br />
specific goal.<br />
We can do nothing about our prarabdha. We should accept it<br />
as it comes, with equanimity. If we are experiencing the results of<br />
positive past karmas, we should keep our feet firmly on the ground<br />
and remember that karmas are external to the soul. Their effect is<br />
only temporary. Whether we experience pleasure or pain, it is only<br />
fleeting. Only the bliss attained by the yogin who is free from all<br />
temporal bonds is real bliss because it is constant, irreversible and<br />
permanent. Temporal happiness is momentary and fleeting.<br />
Mahavir did not believe in pure determinism. He believed in purusartha. He did not sit at home and wait for<br />
the “right day” to come. He did not get a sudden flash of insight. He attained liberation through sustained<br />
purusartha in the face of great adversity. No extraneous factors were going to determine his life. He took on<br />
prarabdha, and won with the help of his perfect purusartha.<br />
Mahavir was clear that he could not be a saviour of all humankind. He could be the catalyst in their<br />
liberation. But each soul is the master of its own fate. Mahavir never deluded himself that he could be the<br />
causative factor in anyone else’s liberation. As a Tirthankara or ford maker, he was the catalyst in establishing the<br />
fourfold Dharma tirtha, the ford of Dharma, or right conduct. But he realised that he was the master of his own<br />
fate, and concentrated on his own liberation.<br />
Mahavir’s conduct and his teachings showed us the path of liberation. He was not a philosopher. He lived<br />
his truth. His conduct reflected his philosophy. Vedic philosophy maintains that one can shed karmas through<br />
knowledge.<br />
Mahavir believed that karmas can be shed only through appropriate conduct. He realised that each soul is<br />
unique, separate and distinct entity. He remained in himself, thought for himself. He did not worship anyone, he<br />
did not build temples, and he did not go on pilgrimages. Mahavir shared his thoughts with those who were willing<br />
to learn from him. He did not go anywhere, he did not seek an audience.<br />
If there were people keen to seek his guidance, he did not address them personally. He did not advise them<br />
on worldly matters. He did not indulge in predictions, did not dispense miracles, etc. His life was a study in<br />
equanimity and calm. Mahavir was not a man in hurry.<br />
His decisions were well thought out, his message was clear. Harm no one and no one will harm you. Realise<br />
the nature of reality. Learn bheda Jnana, the art of distinguishing between the permanent and the temporary,<br />
between the soul and the non-soul. Realise that one substance cannot do more than become a catalyst for another<br />
substance’s modifications. Ultimately, each substances’ modifications rely on its own dharma, or true nature.<br />
Do not run after temporal pleasures. Your stay in this world is fleeting. An orderly life is the<br />
base for spiritual development.<br />
…………………………………………………<br />
Love starts with a smile, develops with a kiss<br />
and ends with either a tear or an eternal embrace<br />
F<br />
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