Acharya Mahaprajna
The Art & Science Of Living
Introduction
Since time immemorial man has felt rudderless and unsettled by the constant change in everything around him, and has been in the quest of something firm, fixed and eternal. The human mind has always possessed this desperate urge to cling to something permanent, something that transcends the ephemerality of the quicksand of earthly existence. Man's religious quest is a similar innately compelling search for the satisfying permanence of a basic spiritual reality.
A baby in its mother's womb doesn't have to do anything for survival; the mother breathes and thinks for it, eats for it and does everything for it. The baby is virtually in a state of perpetual bliss. Psychologists say that the very concept of emancipation [moksha) arises from there itself. It is innate in man from the womb itself. When the baby is born, it is abruptly disconnected from the aforesaid resources of his survival. That is why he steps into this world weeping, bewailing the loss of those resources and comforts. Thereafter, he keeps searching, hankering for that eternal bliss in the mundane existence of this world. Even after pondering over, exploring and practising worldly physical propensities and fleeting, perishable objects, he does not get a glimpse of that eternal felicity. Eventually he endeavours to seek that bliss in his consciousness and psyche. He tends to become introverted.
The true purpose behind human life is not sensuality but spirituality. If we do not utilise this special ability to contemplate and understand ultimate truths, we live lives parallel to those of other animals in the galaxy - oblivious of everything but the here and now. This book endeavours to explore ultimate reality.
The original book "Jeevan Ki Pothi: The Art and Science of Living" by Acharya Mahapragya was published originally in Hindi in 1986 by Jain Vishwa Bharati, Ladnun (Rajasthan) the fourth edition was published in 1992 and it was re-printed in 1999.
The English version of the book has been prepared under the able guidance of Professor Muni Mahendra Kumar who also provides spiritual guidance to the Pathfinder Trust. The translation is by Shri Vinod Kandpal of the Pathfinder Trust. This book has been chosen specially to spread the message of the art and science of living to a wider section of society in India and abroad.
It hopes to inspire people in India and abroad to work towards "self development" in line with the objectives of the Trust. The criteria for selection of the book for wider dissemination are:
- Literature should deal with self-development in all aspects - spiritual, social, mental, and physical.
- The subject should have wider interest and relevance to society.
- It should solve the problems of individuals and society.
The Pathfinder is also grateful to the members of theAdvisory Committee for giving guidance in the selection of value-based literature for wider dissemination.
The Trust expresses its deepest gratitude to Acharya Mahapragya for his blessings. We are grateful to Jain Vishwa Bharati, Ladnun, for granting us the permission to publish the English version of this book.
The Trust also appreciates the efforts put in by Prof. S.K. Palhan, the Chief Executive Officer for organising its first publication.
PATHFINDER TRUST N-l 7, Green Park Extn. New Delhi-110016.
Kamal Singh Bhutoria (Managing Trustee),
Dinesh Chand Jain (Trustee)
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is deeply grateful to Pathfinder Trust and Sterling Publishers Pvt.Ltd.
for the allowance to make this book available here.