20.08.2017 ►JAINA ►Special Newsletter: Paryushan Day 3

Jai Jinendra!

Today is the third day of Parvadhiraj Paryushan Parva and many Shravak and Shravikas will be completing Atham (3 Upvas). JAINA wishes all them Sukh Sata and pray that you all move ahead in your Tapasya as per your inner strength. Let us all vow on this auspicious day that we shall live Jain Way of Life.

Warm Regards,
Gunvant Shah
JAINA President
08-20-2017

The Eternal Lord has had complete knowledge and he preaches the world how to achieve complete and eternal knowledge. What is incomplete has to be completed. The person who thinks that he is complete cannot ever move ahead in life. Shrut Gyan is the pathway in which the Lord teaches how to achieve completeness in Aagam. If we read, and think about it again and again, and if we make sure that it is ingrained into ourselves, and if each word touches our soul, then we will surely attain eternal peace.

There are three types of knowledge:

1. Shrut Gyan: it is like WATER

Water quenches our thirst, gives coolness, and cures heat. Shrut Gyan is the voice of the Lord. What is this voice like? It is like water. It quenches the thirst of endless births and gives complete satisfaction. As water quenches thirst, in the same manner, the thirst for knowledge is cured by the discourse of the Eternal Lord. When we take bath, the cool water will bring down the heat of the body; in the same manner the discourse of the lord will wash away all the bad thoughts from the soul. Water gives us coolness and the discourse of Lord cools the mind by removing the restlessness of mind.

2. Chinta Gyan: it is like MILK

When you listen to something, you think about it again and again. This is called Chinta Gyan. Milk works in two ways:
(1) it cures hunger and (2) it quenches the thirst. When you keep on thinking about the preaching of the Eternal Lord, it cures the hunger of many lives and also strengthens the purity of the soul.

3. Bhavna Gyan: it is like NECTAR

The knowledge which touches and kindles the entire soul is called Bhavna Gyan. It makes the soul immortal. If two drops of perfume are added to a bundle of cotton, the entire bundle of cotton will smell good! If a white cloth is soaked in color, the entire cloth will change! In the same manner, when one listens to the discourse of the lord, his or her soul will be soaked with the penance and repentance and will move around with peace. This will make the soul completely renounced and will be devoted to the Lord. Each word, its meaning and its deep understanding of the preaching would then become ingrained in the person. All such understanding is given in our Aagams. Out of these Aagams, there is one named “Uttradhyayan Sutra”; in the fourth Adhyan of this Aagam, the Eternal Lord has said, “There is no trust of this life; so, leave all the laziness behind and open your eyes.”

If a swimmer becomes lazy, he is sure to drown. If the dancer on the rope loses his concentration, he will fall off. If a mountaineer is not careful, he will fall off the cliff into the deep valley.

In the same manner, if a devotee engulfs himself in the throes of laziness, he is sure to reach Narak or Nigodh.