Jain Sadhna Me Sadguru Ka Mahattva - Book Summary

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Jain Sadhna me Sadguru ka Mahattva" (The Importance of a True Guru in Jain Practice) by Pushpalata Jain, based on the provided pages:

The article emphasizes the paramount importance of a Sadguru (True Guru) in Jain spiritual practice. It asserts that the role of a Sadguru is as crucial as that of an Arhat (a perfected being) in the Jain tradition. The author highlights that Jain ascetics have always revered Arhats, Tirthankaras, Acharyas, Upadhyayas, and Sadhus as Sadgurus, offering them worship, praise, and devotion. The attainment of such a Guru is considered a result of great fortune, made possible by the presence of the soul and the shedding of karmic impurities.

The article draws heavily on the works of various Jain poets and saints from the Bhakti period to illustrate the significance of the Sadguru. These include:

Kushallabh: He describes experiencing his Guru's (Shri Pujyahavahan) teachings in nature itself – the songs of cuckoos, the dance of peacocks, and the joy of chakor birds. His Guru's meditation brings a cooling breeze, perfuming the world with righteousness. The blessings of such a Guru lead to eternal happiness.
Mansingh: In his "Shullak Kumar Chaupai," he posits that the company of a Sadguru is the reason for attaining liberation (moksha). He emphasizes learning virtues from the virtuous, comparing this to a bee being drawn to a lotus and a knowledgeable person to a wise entity that understands. The company of the virtuous leads to elevated positions, just as a lotus-entwined string is beautiful, unlike a common thorn. He believes that following a Guru's words awakens the inner eye.
Banarasidas: Inspired by Somaprabhacharya, he views Guru service as a way to abandon the wrong path and embrace the righteous path, helping to overcome undesirable thoughts and cross the ocean of the world. He states that a Sadguru's grace destroys false beliefs (mithyatva), provides knowledge of right and wrong actions leading to good or bad destinations, and clarifies the meaning of merit (punya) and demerit (paap). The Sadguru is described as a ship to cross the ocean of existence, incomparable in the world. He describes the Guru's knowledge as the light of the sun by day and the moon by night, urging readers to listen to the Guru's nectar-like words, which are described as the "Jinvani" (The Voice of the Jinas). This divine speech is praised for illuminating righteousness, destroying sins, differentiating wrong doctrines, and eradicating desires. The Guru's teachings are likened to an ointment that removes the blindness of doubt and delusion.
Shiv Pachisi: This work refers to the Guru's words as a "waterfall" (jalhari), calling it "Sumati" and "Sharda." The Guru's speech is described as a source of nectar, a spiritual resort, and a cloud that dispels great delusion and grants liberation. The divine speech (Jinvani) flows from the heart of the omniscient Sadguru into the ocean of scriptures, embodying truth and multiple perspectives. The Guru's speech is compared to a cloud beneficial to all beings, understood by the right-minded but not by the deluded. The article draws a parallel between the goal of nirvana and the means like Arhat, Shravak, Sadhu, and Samyaktva, highlighting that understanding these as stages of a single soul makes one right-minded.
Sahajkirti: He considers seeing the Guru as bliss-giving and describes the Guru's qualities as ineffable.
Jagatram: He praises the Sadguru who awakens the formless divine ("Alakh Niranjan") through meditation and expresses his deep affection for such Gurus. He emphasizes the Guru's role in binding the self through chastity, sounding the trumpet of forgiveness and compassion, and awakening the conscious soul within the cave of knowledge. He expresses astonishment that even with a knowledgeable Guru explaining, the soul fails to grasp the essence.
Pandey Hemraj: He likens the Guru to a lamp that dispels darkness and is detached (vairagi). He laments that even such a Guru's words are not heeded, and individuals remain entangled in desires and sins. He urges listeners to obey the Guru's advice.
Rupchand: He believes that crossing the ocean of existence is impossible without the Guru's grace. The divine is eager to merge its light with the Guru's brilliance.
Anandghan: Similar to Brahmdip, he describes the yogi Guru through the address "Abdhu."
Bhai Bhagwatidas: He calls upon worldly beings to awaken through the nectar-like words of such a yogi Sadguru, recognizing the suffering in the world and the attainable happiness.
Madhubinduk: He, like other mystical saints, acknowledges the Guru's importance. He believes that salvation is impossible without the Sadguru's guidance, but such a virtuous Guru is not easily found and is attained only through the rise of merit.
Pandey Rupchand: He advises the soul that the Sadguru enlightens with nectar-like and beneficial words, yet the soul fails to grasp the truth.
Daulatram Jain: He expresses concern about finding a Guru who is impartial towards wealth and poverty, praise and blame, is detached, practices severe penance, is non-possessive, and disciplined. Only such Gurus can lead one across the ocean of existence. He describes such an ideal Guru as someone who has renounced worldly enjoyments, sees gold and glass alike, remains unaffected by criticism or praise, practices severe penance, lives simply in nature, is compassionate towards all beings, practices severe austerity, meditates on the pure self, and guides others across the ocean of worldly existence.
Dhyantaray: He sees no other giver equal to the Guru. The Guru dispels darkness that even the sun cannot, showering grace like a cloud, and guides beings from lower realms (hell, animals) to heaven and liberation. The Guru is the lamp of the three worlds and the ship to cross the ocean of existence. He urges remembering the Guru's lotus feet with a pure mind. He notes that those who abandon desires find faith, and this is the Sadguru's teaching, understood by few.
Bhudhardas: He finds the Guru's teachings invaluable and urges all souls to listen to the Guru's wise counsel. The Guru's teaching is like the Ganges originating from Lord Mahavir, piercing the great mountain of delusion, dispelling the world's inertia, and merging into the ocean of knowledge. The Guru's word banishes the darkness of ignorance.
Budhjan: He urges accepting the Guru's teachings, stating that the soul has wandered endlessly, experiencing various states of existence. The Guru's knowledge, like a draught from a cup, removes worldly entanglements and leads to ecstatic meditation.
Samaysundar: His state transforms immediately upon seeing the Guru, signifying the manifestation of merit.
Sant Sadhukirti: He expresses overwhelming eagerness to see the Guru and inquires about their arrival, showing a purity exceeding that of formless mystics.

The article concludes by reiterating that the Sadguru and their divine word are essential for attaining mystical realization. Through the Guru's grace, one attains knowledge and concentration, and the Guru guides one on the path to union with the divine. Maya's veil is removed through the Guru's teachings and company, leading to the soul's purification. The ultimate reality, from the perspective of the "Nischay Nay" (ultimate truth), is that the Guru is the soul itself.

The author also draws parallels with non-Jain saints and poets, highlighting the universal recognition of the Guru's importance in traditions like Kabir, Sufi poets (Jaisi), Surdas, Sahjobai, Dadudayal, Nanak, and Tulsidas. These figures also emphasize the Guru's role in dispelling ignorance, guiding to liberation, and bestowing divine knowledge and grace. The article notes that while Jain poets often blend spiritual insights with the Guru's teachings, other traditions may focus more on the company of the virtuous (satsang) for general moral upliftment.

In essence, the article powerfully argues that the Sadguru is the indispensable guide on the spiritual path in Jainism, providing knowledge, grace, and the ultimate means to achieve liberation and union with the divine.