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Philosophy and came to the conclusion that the essence of all darśanas and philosophies is nothing but ātmadharma or religion of the soul and their only goal is to make one realize one's self or soul, and its true nature. In one of his poems, he says all philosohies are just like one big tree and ātma-dharma is its root. The famous Ācārārgasūtra, which is the first Āgama and foremost scripture of the Jains and contains the philosophical teachings of Mahāvīra, begins with this assertion that most people do not know wherefrom they have come and whereto they have to go. This assertion, in other words, means that one does not know that one is essentially and mainly a soul and that is eternal and he is not body, mind, or intellect. One who knows or comes to know through a pious teacher that he is not body but soul, and is reborn after death and every time acquires a new body, may be of any category of being either human, or animal etc., comes to believe that he is subject to the cycle of birth and death, because of auspicious and inauspicious karmic bondage acquired by him. By making this assertion, Mahāvīra wants to suggest that it is one's self or soul, which is responsible for the cycle of birth and death which means nothing but unending miseries. Mahāvīra, however preaches that if one is alert. awake and careful cnough, one can free
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