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An Account of
this difference, they are charged with atheism. If eo, Shri Krishna who, in his DIVINE LAY says: "The Lord does neither create the actor nor the actions of the world, nor does He determine what actions shall bear what fruits This is all natural. Nor does He take anyone's merits or sine. When ignorance throws a veil on wisdom, people go astray'—surely the Divine singer of these lines must be called an atheist, So the way to consider this problem is to accept the meaning of an atheist as given by Panini who defines a Nastika as r'one who does not accept the truth of after death existence" of the soul. The Jains who believe in the Swargas or heavens de the hells are to be considered as perfectly theistic. The Digambers and the Shwetaw.bars differ as to the number of heavens but there is no doubt that there are other worlds besides this which the soul has to pass through before final liberation. But if the atheists are those who deny the abso lute authority of the Vedas, the Jains in company with the Moslems, the Christians and the Brahmos will have no doubt to bo styled as atheists! In fact, the Jains can under no circumstances be called Nastiks ( in a derogatory sense. ) -Transcribed from Mr. Apte's Marathi Lecture on Jainism
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