Jailer

by Jainacharya Vijay Abhayshekhar Suri

Jain philosophy in easy-to-understand language with story-based examples

Genres: Self Help

114 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Jinay Shah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book explains a philosophy which might prove very useful in some situations. It presents a situation where you've committed a crime and you're being punished by a Jailer. You know you haven't done anything bad to the Jailer but he still punishes you as severely. Suppose your body is better built than the Jailer but even if you strike back or argue, would that reduce your punishment? It'll instead land you in more trouble. Your best option is to sit back and bear the punishment knowing that you yourself are responsible for landing yourself in this situation. This one idea constantly resonates in every chapter of the book. Ignoring the part where it promoted Jain religion, it's quite a good read if you think you need some help with maintaining your temper. The examples were taken from ancient scripts and most of the examples featured a person being tyrannised by another evil person. Then the victim realises the situation is self imposed and the tyrant has nothing to do with it( and is just the jailer). He/She remains calm and composed and somehow the situation turns out to be extremely good for the him/her. The examples were more targeted towards domestic problems like mother & daughter-in-law and parents & child complications. Some examples were evidently made up(and seemed really "meh") but somehow conveyed the idea. The main idea of the book is to propogate non-violence(& Jainism). At some point I was bored of reading the book because all 170 pages explain the same philosophy over and over. But the main point of the book is sensible enough and I liked it. I guess you'd gain the same wisdom by reading the summary of the book rather than going through all of it. The book could have been a third of its size in my opinion. Overall I gained some wisdom, so 3 stars for that.

[Utkarsh Sankhla · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked: the core message, which really is a great insight into Jain philosophies of Karma. I liked how the same idea of the Jailer was explored via different PoVs.

What I didnt like: There were parts of the book and the Acharya's sayings that went against my values (such as a glorification of Sati, inherent bias towards Patriarchy).

But the biggest thing I have learnt is that, diaagreeing is fine. And disagreement need not extend to dismissing a book/ a person. I picked what I liked, and got a lot of value in it :)

[Dev Ruparelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was given to me by a Jain friend of mine for free, and I had promised him to return the book in good condition after reading it. But after I actually finished reading it, I never thought of returning it back! Such is the effect of this book on the reader's mind. Written by a venerable Jain Acharya, this wonderful book is based on the Jain principle of Karmasatta which should be imbibed and followed by everyone to achieve unwavering peace.
The short but extremely profitable book explains us the role that karma (deed) plays in the life and future of an individual. Through the unfailing examples mentioned in the book, the reader is inevitably convinced that good deeds yield a better fortune, while impure deeds result in a bad fate and an unsteady future.
The world we live in is full of hatred, enmity, anger and revenge. The precepts that one absorbs from this book explain why it is so, and also give a remedy to alleviate all these undesired emotions that prevail in the mind of the modern man. A mix of a psychological and religious book, it is certainly recommended to everyone in the world who desires to achieve peace and joy in life. The first read compels the reader to read the book multiple times, in order to completely understand the concepts. I am very proud to be born in India, where every problem has a valid and meaningful solution and where life is made easy through the teachings of such venerable saints and gurus.

[Beejal Oswal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jai jinendra,
This book is the best book book one can ever ask for. It will definitely help you to reduce your anger and personally, I can relate myself with all the situations mentioned in the book. This book gives example of many great people including bhagwan Mahaveer. It explains how karma punishes you and how it greets you according to your deeds. I appeal you all to please try to read this book and try to understand yourself.
Jainam jayti shashanam🙏

[Shrushti · Rating 3 out of 5]

JAILER - doesn't name itself sounds like it's weird to be written by a Jain monk. But right when you start reading it , you'll know it's written in a very intelligent way yet easy to be understood by the general public .

In this book we , every individual on this planet , is considered a crime doer and everybody else is a jailer who punishes us for the wrong doing s order by karmasatta . The basic idea that resonates throughout is to attend any adversity with calmness ,composure and equanimity without having any hatredness towards jailer or the punisher . Acharya Shri abhayshekharsoori ji has torched lights on some of the most neglected topics like 'Karma ', 'composure of mind in tough times ' , and many things in the form of interesting stories .

Every story ,every sentence makes you reflect on your own past behaviours , it gives you time to reflect on it , and also gives a solution on how to change it . It's an 100 percent must read book .

But at the same time I found the principles very repetitive and few ideas didn't align with mine , but at the end we always take only those bits and pieces which seems justified and righteous .so take those values and work on them

[Aniket K reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who must read this book?
Anyone who wants Calmness/Mindfulness in their life

Buy or not?
This book gave me plethora of learnings which i was kind of aware of but never gave importance to. Pick up any chapter and an engrossing story will capture your mind and give you thoughtful learnings. Based on Jain Stories the author is explaining the concept of Karmasatta, which,imo is very well explained and understood. Some of the stories were quite pulsating while some a little less but overall i was satisfied with the value i got from this book. While reading this book you must read it lika a submissive soul. It has also helped me in my Mindfulness journey as alot of thoughts have opened the doors of my cavernous mind. I could totally relate to the part where it gives an idea about how you should take 100% responsibility of your current situation which you will also find in Darren Hardy's Compound Effect. Overall a re-Read Book and one must have in his/her shelf.
A page turner, Satisfying and Insightful read
So, a must Buy in 2022

[Hetal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I have ever read in my life.
A solution of every problem in our life.

[Riti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really tough language for me as a non jain, but still nice spiritual book, read it in English and Hindi

[Vartika]

What rubbish, if someone is misbehaving or abusing me, i should stop it, rather than bearing the suffering considering it my karma..
Have people lost common sense?

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing book. would recommend everyone to read it.

[Manisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice and easy to read book. Concept of karma explained by comparing it with a Jailer, who is just responsible for carrying out punishments given to a prisoner (soul). He merely follows court orders. Many examples given in the book make the concept understandable even for the people having little or no knowledge of Jainism.