8
Trimantra
liberation will have to be carried out, only then can the Navkar
mantra be complete. If a collector has been promoted to a
Governor, would it not be disrespectful to continue addressing
him as a collector?
Questioner : Yes it would.
Dadashri : In the same token if you believe the twenty-
four Tirthankars to be arihants, then you are incurring a big loss.
It is very detrimental. It does not harm the Vitarag Lords; it has
no effect on them, but it is very damaging for you.
Reaches Only The Current Living Tirthankara
Neither Lord Mahavir nor the rest of the twenty-three
Tirthankars can help you attain liberation now. They have already
become liberated. When we say ‘Namo Arihantanam’, that
mantra reaches the arihants, wherever they may in the universe,
just like the mail that always reaches its destination. It will not
reach Lord Mahavir. Presently people believe that when they
say ‘Namo Arihantanam’, it reaches Lord Mahavir. The Twenty-
four Tirthankars of the past are now in the fully liberated state
as the siddhas. They are in the category of ‘Namo Siddhanam’.
Only the currently present Tirthankars are referred to as arihants.
This Can Also Be Understood Through The Intellect
Questioner : Today I came to understand that when we
say ‘Namo Arihantanam,’ it refers to only Simandhar Swami;
he is the arihant Lord.
Dadashri : What can be done when things are so jumbled
up? As an attorney, what do you think of it all?
Questioner : I understand it completely Dada. Not from
an attorney’s perspective only but I accept it completely as a
staunch practicing Jain. Based on what you explain, a Jain who
has a thorough understanding would readily accept that only the
presently living can be called an arihant, a Tirthankar. That is