Lord Mahavira and the Jain Tradition

Harmony of All Religions Santmat By Maharishi Santsevi Ji Maharaj Translated from Hindi by Veena Rani Howard Copyright © 2003 by Santmat Society of North America™ All rights reserved Publisher: Santmat Society of North America™ All rights reserved Copyright© 2006 First English Edition 201 copies Printed by Motilal Barnasidas Publishing New Delhi India A Humble Offering To Maharishi Santsevi Ji Maharaj— The Guiding Light of My Life Table of Contents Page Maharishi Santsevi Ji`s Blessings 1 Editors Note 3 Biography of Swami Santsevi Ji 11 Point of Departure 21 Chapter 1 Vedic Tradition 53 Chapter 2 Jainism 93 Chapter 3 Buddhism 119 Chapter 4 Judaism and Christianity 179 Chapter 5 Islam 227 Chapter 6 Sikhism 263 Chapter 7 Santmat 305 Maharishi Santsevi Ji Maharaj`s Letter of Blessing to the Editor Maharishi Santsevi Ji December 2006 Translation: Sarvadharma Samanvya (The Harmony of All Religions) is a kind of book that guides those who are eager to learn the essence of religion and spirituality. A study of this book provides the reader with the esoteric teachings of one’s own religion as well as the religions of others. Until now this book was only available in the Indian language (Hindi), therefore, only the Hindi speaking people were able to reap the benefit of reading this book. 1 My dear like daughter disciple, Shrimati Veena Rani Howard, who now resides in the United States of America, translated this treatise into English. With this translation she extended the scope of readership since English is the world’s most widely used international language. Now people, from countries other than India, desirous of learning about the essential Truth will also be able to benefit by reading and reflecting on this book. Undoubtedly, the translation of religious issues written in languages other than our own has always been a difficult task due to culture-specific terminology and ideology. The translator has accomplished an admirable task by successfully editing and interpreting the core ideas of the treatise accordingly for the Western readers. For this holy effort I give her my thanks and also my blessings. Swami Santsevi Ji December 2006 2 Introduction The old cliché, “we are the citizens of the world” never has been so true as today. Swift air-travel and the pervasive power of the internet have shrunk the distances—“the far East” is not so far and mystifying any more. In the 21st century rapidly growing globalization is generating in the hearts and minds of people a sense of liberty and interconnectedness to the beings of the world. But, it is also posing a challenge to the established values and religious viewpoints within different cultures. The expeditious industrialization, the product of globalization is also challenging age -old moral and religious values. In this age—the age of disappearing boundaries, countries becoming the melting pots of a myriad of cultures and the validity of ancient faith traditions are challenged-- some fear the cataclysmic end to the world. Or at least many fear the end of the “world” as we know it. Some factions are outraged with the emerging new world culture and reshaping of the ancient ways of religions. The result: distrust, anger, hatred, and animosity. The naked dance of this anger and distrust became most visible on the September 11, 2001. On this day the world watched the symbols of global and industrial progress—the twin towers of world trade center—crashing to the ground. 1 From this day onward our whole world has changed. The “shock and awe” generated by the fall has shocked the established value systems. The feelings of fear and distrust are benumbing the hearts of people and paralyzing the sense of seeing clearly. But, this time must be taken as an opportunity, an opening to find new horizons, assess our values, and understand different cultures and religions. This is exactly what the great saint, Maharishi Shri Santsevi ji has done through his book, The Harmony of Religions. Shri Santsevi Ji, has been teaching the Santmat tradition for many decades and believes in the validity of all prominent world religions. In this book, he has delved deep into each of the following religions: Vedic tradition (dharma), Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity, Sikhism and Islam. By illustrating the main tenets of these religions, Maharishi Santsevi Ji by his wisdom has shown that all of these religions while seemingly different in nature are inherently the same. His research concerns primarily the esoteric teachings—the inner core of all religions. At the same time he has not undermined the doctrines and practices of these traditions, which give form and shape to these religions. Shri Santsevi Ji has confirmed the ancient Vedic saying: Truth is one; the sages speak of it in various ways. The purpose of 2 religion is not to divide but to unite (etymologically re-legare in Latin), its aim is to hold the diversity in unity (literally dharma in Sanskrit). Its aim is to bring peace, love, and unity and remove hate, distrust, and divisions. Shri Santsevi Ji through this book attempts to show a path to create harmony instead of conflict, establish trust in place of doubt, and replace hate with love. This book will serve as a balm to tender wounds, and provide hope to the desperate hearts. 3 C Maharishi Santsevi Ji Maharaj: A Biography Maharishi Santsevi Ji Maharaj is a renowned saint, an exceptional Spiritual Guide, and a unique social reformer of the 21st Century. Shri Santsevi Ji is the fourth Guru in the Santmat lineage of great spiritual masters: Sant Tulsi Sahab, Baba Devi Sahab, and Maharishi Mehi Paramhans Ji Maharaj. Shri Santsevi Ji was born on December 20, 1920 in a small village of Bihar state, the most impoverished state of India. His family name was Mahavira. From his early childhood Mahavira was greatly interested in religious and spiritual matters. He enjoyed reading the scriptures and the poetry of saints. He was particularly fond of the Ramayana, the Bhagavad-Gita, the Ramacharitmanas, and the Shri Guru Granth Sahib. After attending middle school he began home schooling. His intellect was keen and his heart tender. He found joy in teaching and tutoring younger students and in nursing the sick. He always felt great compassion for the sick and oppressed. This led him to study homeopathic medicine in order to help the poor and to nurse the ailing. Through his experience with sickness and 11 C death, Mahavira witnessed the impermanence and suffering that pervades human life. As a result, the seeds of detachment became firmly rooted in his heart. He became detached from the worldly life. After considerable reflection, he chose a life of renunciation, even though his family members exerted great pressure to persuade him otherwise. In 1939, Mahavira came in contact with the great sage of the Santmat tradition, Maharishi Mehi, who had a hermitage in Bhagalpur, Bihar. Upon seeing Maharishi Mehi, Mahavira felt drawn to him, as though he had known him for many lifetimes. Mahavira was also greatly intrigued by the principles and practices of Santmat. He approached Shri Maharishi Mehi for initiation in Santmat. Maharishi Mehi soon became very impressed by the sincerity and devotion of this young man and agreed to initiate him. Mahavira began his meditation and service of Guru, and also continued his work as a tutor. In the heart of Mahavira a keen desire arose to remain permanently in the service of his Guru. His desire was fulfilled in 1949 when Maharishi Mehi gave him permission to stay in the Ashram in his service. Mahavira devoted his days and nights to taking care of the needs of his Guru, thereby following the ancient Vedic model of the Guru-disciple relationship. He never 12 C cared for his personal comfort when he was serving his Guru’s needs: cooking food, doing laundry, keeping track of expenses, editing his writings, and traveling to villages with him to teach the principles of Santmat to the poor, oppressed, and marginalized. Maharishi Mehi, pleased with this selfless service, gave him the name Santsevi, meaning “he who serves saints.” From that day Mahavira came to be known as Santsevi. As Maharishi Mehi advanced in age, he began to transfer his responsibilities to Shri Santsevi Ji. He authorized Shri Santsevi Ji to give initiation to spiritual seekers, to respond to their inquiries, and to guide them through the inner experiences of their spiritual journeys. He came to be seen as the prominent disciple among Maharishi Mehi’s chief devotees. Maharishi Mehi often said, “As the English letters Q and U cannot be separated, so too Santsevi and I are connected. Wherever I may live Santsevi will also reside.” Shri Santsevi Ji remained in the service of his Guru until Maharishi Mehi’s passing at the age of 101 in July of 1986. After the passing of Shri Maharishi Mehi, Shri Santsevi Ji was immediately recognized as the torchbearer of Santmat. Since then, he has ceaselessly and selflessly been continuing the service of Santmat. 13 C Shri Santsevi Maharaj Ji’s personality is charismatic as a result of his accomplishments on the path to the realization of Truth. Even though he is a learned man, his knowledge goes beyond the confines of the human intellect. Despite the fact that he never attended a class in a university or a college, a number of Ph.D. students are pursuing research on his writings. He has no formal education in any Divinity or Religious school, yet scholars from various disciplines come to him to understand the subtle interpretations found in sacred texts and literature: the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad-Gita, the Bible, the Koran and the Shri Guru Granth Sahib, as well as various writings of the saints.

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