Heritage of the Last Arhat Or Lord Mahavira The Message of Jainism

Author(s): Charlotte Krause, Balchandra M Parikh
Publisher: Chimanlal Kothari
Catalog link: https://jainqq.org/explore/034511/1

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THE HERITAGE OF THE LAST ARHAT OR LORD MAHAVIRA THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM By Dr. CHARLOTTE KRAUSE (Leipzig) Adaptation by BALCHANDRA M. PARIKH, M. A. "The nobler a soul is, The more objects of compassion it hath." - Bacon Published by SRI CHIMANLAL KOTHARI 191, NETAJ SUBHAS CHANDRA Bose ROAD, MADRAS-1

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First Edition August, 1960 PRINTED 2000 COPIES COST OF 1000 COPIES borne by M/S DEVARAJ MANEKCHAND BHARATI VIJAYAM PRESS, TRIPLICANE, MADRAS-5.

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FOREWORD Jainism, like Hinduism and Buddhism, has attracted international interest today, although in ancient times, unlike its two other sister faiths, it did not enjoy transIndian expansion. In modern times, several foreign savants have made distinguished contributions to the study and exposition of Jain literature, religion and thought. Among these scholarly Jinologists, Dr. Charlotte Krause is a noteworthy name. This German scholar not only devoted herself intellectually to a study of Jainism, but lived in India for over quarter of a century, working under the direct guidance and inspiration of the Jain teacher Sri Mun: Vidyavijaya of Sivapuri, with whom she was closely associated. Among her writings are translations into German of Jain edificatory stories', of the sayings of Vijayadharma Suri and a monograph on Ancieni Jaina Hymns. In the following pages is offered a lecture of hers delivered in Madras, adapted for the sake of non-academic readers by Sri Balachandra Parikh. Jainism forms an interesting subject of study in all its three branches, its literature, religious practices and metaphysics. In all these three spheres, it had, in its development, a close association with Hinduism. While Hinduism in its leading mode of thought, affirmed the one Absolute Reality and Buddhism the other extreme position of the non-existence of any, Jain metaphysic may be said to have adopted a middle course in offering its theory of Syadvuda and the seven-facetted (sapta-bhangi) nature of reality. It is striking to a student of Indian history how Jainism has, unlike Buddhism, stayed and been part and parcel of the country and the community. Apart from their writings on their own religion and philosophy, the Jain authors had made valuable contributions to branches of general Sanskrit 1. The Aghata-Kumara-Katha and the Ambada.caritra 2. Seindia Oriental Series 2, 1952.

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literature like poetry, drama, poetics, dramaturgy, lexicography, grammar and above all, to yoga. While, as the Rgveda says, all great religions have proclaimed the same one Truth, they have laid the emphasis in different ways and shown the approaches to it differently. Apart from the significance of Jain logic, it is as a religion of intense moral fervour that Jainism, on its practical side, appeals most to students of religion. Self-control, and Abstinence, samyama, Austerity, tapas, and Nonviolence, ahimsa, these are the three cardinal principles the emphasis on which had made it an ethical way, dharmamarga, par excellence. In the brief and lucid exposition offered in these pages, it is to these aspects of Jainism as a practical religion that Dr. Krause has drawn attention, for as she says, this indeed, would be a proper introduction to the spirit of Jainism. It is from this angle that mystics and votaries devoted to the practical and essential things in the diverse paths have sung of the fundamental unity of these paths. This unity has no doubt been fequently emphaised in Hindu scriptures and writings, one of which, a common prayer, says : yaM zaivAH samupAsate ziva iti brahmati vedAntinaH bauddhA buddha iti pramANapaTavaH karteti naiyAyikAH / arhanityatha jainazAsanaratAH karmeti mImAMsakAH so'yaM vo vidadhAtu vAJchitaphalaM trailokyanAtho hariH // In a more pithy, impersonal and memorable verse, the Jain mystic sings of the same truth : bhavabIjAGkujaladA rAgAdyAH kSayamupagatA yasya / brahmA vA viSNurvA harijino vA namastasmai / 15--8-1960 2 V. RAGHAVAN Madras University /

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PREFACE This booklet contains a lecture delivered by Dr. Miss Charlotte Krause, Ph. D., the wellknown German scholar in Indian scriptures, in the year 1929, under the presidentship of the then Advocate-General T. R. Venkatarama Sastri, when His Holiness the Acharya Sri Vijayendra Suriji and Upadhyaya Sri Mangalavijayaji stayed in Madras for Chaturmasya and for giving religious Vyakhyanas and discourses. I came to Madras at the end of that year 1929 and so I did not have the opportunity of meeting Dr. Krause; but I came across a copy of her lecture which was then printed. While I liked her exposition, I found the language somewhat difficult for general readers. Since then I had been cherishing a keen desire to get this lecture simplified, so that any English-knowing lay person could understand it, and have it translated into Gujarati as well. I met last year Sri Balchandra M. Parikh, M. A., (Palanpur, Gujarat), who undertook to do both the simplified version and the Gujarati translation. But before publishing the lecture as adapted by Sri Parikh, I showed it to Dr. V. Raghavan of the Madras University, a great Sanskrit scholar whom I have known for the past ten years and more. At my request he went through this simplified version of the lecture and approved of its publication. His words of appreciation and his going through

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vi the manuscript and then the proofs of the same show the keen interest he took in this publication for my sake. I am indeed very grateful to both Sri Balchandra Parikh and Dr. Raghavan without whose help I could not have been able to publish this lecture and fulfil my long cherished wish. My thanks are also due to Sri K. V. Sarma who also read the proofs and to the Bharati Vijayam Press, Triplicane, Madras, for printing this booklet within a short time. Madras, 15th August 1960 CHIMANLAL R. KOTHARL

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INTRODUCTION When I was called upon to present in a simplified form for the benefit of readers today the excellent monograph on Jainism, The Heritage of the Last Arhat, originally delivered as a lecture by Dr. Charlotte Krause at Madras almost a generation ago, I realised that the task was not so simple as it appeared on the surface. I believe that in a subject like religion or philosophy discussed at a high level of thought, not only the contents and the approach, but also the language and expression in they are couched are of supreme importance, for the inner dignity of the theme is constantly sustained and reinforced by the elevation of the language employed. My primary task was, of course, to simplify the deeply impressive study on Jainism by Dr. Krause so as to make it easily intelligible and appealing to the average educated reader of the present day. I have been aware, however, that a process of over-simplification in language, from the point of view of the reader, often leads to a veritable lowering of the thought-content in such subjects. I have, therefore, accepted it as my foremost obligation to the original study of Dr. Krause to preserve the dignity of the whole intact, even while simplifying the thought-processes, no less than the construction and syntax involved in her unique presentation of the theme. As a result, I have sought to attain my objective by assimilating as much of the phraseology and expression of her original work as was consistent with my aim, into the new pattern of a simplified structure of both language and thought, which has thus come into being. The only thing I can say at the moment is that my task will have been fulfilled if the reader feels that the method I have adopted had ultimately resulted in producing a simplified version which yet carries the impact of the original, retaining its full dignity and power of appeal. As regards the matter of this study, it will be seen that most of it deals with the basic tenets of Jainism, in the

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viji la wider perspective of religion, discussed at a highly philosophical level. The whole discussion is, however, concentrated on bringing out the practical implications of this arge ideological background so as to clarify the path of religious advancement for the individual and the community in accord with the principles of Jaina philosophy. Consequently, the author has been led to discuss, as shown in sections IV and V which deal with the aspect of the Pratyakhyanas, the specific means and ways of achieving this advancement through modes of conduct prescribed by the Jaina Scriptures. It must be noted, however, that though originally derived from the basic approach of the Jaina philosophy of life, many of these modes, as they are practised by the Jaina community at large, have lost today their original force and glow of the spirit, having been overtaken by a purely sectarian and static outlook devoid of the motive force of the soul. This happens, sooner or later, in the history of every religion as the modes of conduct prescribed by it in the light of an inner vision begin to harden into the outer ceremonies of a dead ritual, bereft of the large spirit of its original principles. Jainism, too, cannot escape the fate which inevitably besets all religions at a certain stage of their evolution in the practical sphere of ceremonial conduct. Nevertheless, it is gratifying to realise that the fundamental principles of Jaina philosophy have not lost, thereby, any of their original glow and vital force in the context of even our complex present day life. Their bedrock remains as sound as ever, and the mainsprings of their inspiration, ever flowing with the fresh elixir of life, unsullied at its source, can still allay the thirst of the modern man bewildered in his soul by the pressure of innumerable forces crowding around him. BALCHANDRA PARIKH

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KEK LORD MAHAVIRA

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Every one of us has been placed, by birth and education, within the range of power of one or another of the great human civilisations that have prevailed upon this earth. It has exercised its influence on our bodily and mental training. It has shaped the whole development of our personality. And it has even laid the impress of its specific religious outlook on the majority of men who have fallen within its sphere. It forms a network of influences which are strengthened by the history, tradition, custom and convention of each race. And the individual is knit up so closely with the pattern of these complex infuences, that it holds him in its grip nearly as firmly as do those bonds of natural kinship which connect him with the race of his ancestors. And yet we know that those bonds of natural kinship do not hinder a person from attaching himself with even stronger bonds to other distant persons Relative value belonging to an alien community. Such of Religious may be the bonds of love and friendship, Truth bonds of fellowship and mental affinity. Just so, the bonds of a particular religion need not prevent anybody from glancing around and discovering merits in other diverse religions. For, in this way, the individual is enabled to measure the value of his own conceptions by comparing them with the noblest concepts contained in other religions. But, then, the question arises : how to judge of the merit of a religion, how to find out what is noble in it!

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HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA : Does not one single religion, when isolated from the ground of its sister-religions, appear like one isolated petal of a flower, like one isolated note of a melody? Will it not be one-sided in its approach to truth ? Will not its decision be comparable to the opinion of each one of that group of blind men who tried to define the nature of an elephant, standing for the first time in their lives before it? The first who happened to touch its forehead declared the elephant to be a big stone. The second, from the touch of one of its tusks, defined it as a pointed weapon. The third, after touching the trunk, said the elephant was a leather bag. The fourth caught hold of one of the ears and defined the whole animal as a flapping fan. The fifth, after passing his hand over its body, declared it to be a mountain. The sixth who touched one of its legs, said the elephant was a pillar. And the seventh, having caught hold of its tail, described it as a piece of rope. In this manner, each of these men grasped only a part of the nature of the actual thing, which was the elephant. Even so, each one of the various religions on earth seems to allow us the view of but one seperate aspect of Truth Divine. How, then, are we in a position to speak of peculiar merit in. this or that religion ? As a matter of fact, the individual, whenever acting, acts apparently with one chief end in view. Responding to its own innate instincts which seek for Criterion of an the satisfaction of its ego, it endeavours. Ideal Religion to act so as to establish or to maintain for itself themaximum degree of physical happiness possible in this world. In this activity, it

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THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM feels itself often checked, however, by another set of inner voices. No matter whether we call them conscience, the imperative call of humanity, the promptings of social instinct, or something else, they regularly warn the individual, whenever the pride of ego tempts it to overrule one or another of the tenets of the Moral Law. For, by so doing, it endangers, directly or indirectly, the well-being of the social body of which it forms a part. Life, viewed from this perspective, seems to be nothing but an attempt on the part of the individual to maintain a delicate balance for itself on the exact line of demarcation between its selfish instincts on the one hand, and its moral obligations on the other. In this frantic effort, it seeks to avoid, as far as possible, hurting its own interests on the one side, and those of the society on the other. This state of equipoise is experienced by the refined mind as the maximum of inner happiness which can be attained under a given set of circumstances. It is that superior happiness, that 'Peace of God', which religion promises to its followers. For, religion has always considered it as one of its tasks to indicate that delicate line of demarcation which proceeds winding along between the two opposite forces of moral purity and elemental self-interest. Every religion has faced this task with boldness and determination, and in its own peculiar way, following its own particular character and tradition. If, therefore, a religion has succeeded in fulfilling its task well, its doctrines must assure a state of perfect and permanent harmony between the well-being of the individual and that of the society, under

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HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA : whatever conditions imaginable. And conversely, the merit of a religion can be ascertained by the stability and measure of perfection which mark the harmony of the above two factors. Measured by this standard, there can be no question as to the high value of Jainism as a religion. A timehonoured religion, it goes back to the teachings of Vardhamana Mahavira, the great contemporary and countryman of Gautama Buddha, and to his predecessors. Its greatness lies in that its teachings seem to assure indeed "the greatest happiness of the greatest number ", not only of men, but of living beings, under all circumstances imaginable. That is why I venture to draw your attention to this extremely attractive and important subject to-day. Il According to Jainism, everything that lives has a soul, or, if we choose to speak in the pointed and beautiful language of the Scriptures, is a soul. Perfect Social And all the souls are fellow-creatures : Welfare gua- the godlike saint in his purity and imranteed by movable peace, the active man of the Jainism world with his never resting ambitions, the innocent infant and the confirmed criminal. So are the lion and the nightingale, the cobra and the dragon-fly, the green leaf and the rose flower. Even so are the tiniest particles of water and the smallest corpuscles that compose the shining crystal, those myriads of beings that form the wings of the breeze and

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THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM those that waver in the scarlet glow of fire. All are fellow creatures, all are brothers. For, all have got bodies, all have got senses, all have got instincts. All take food and digest it, all multiply, all are born and die, all are capable of suffering and enjoying, and all bear the germs of perfection within themselves. That means all are able to develop their latent powers during the long chain of their respective existences, succeeding one upon another. It implies that all are capable of cultivating their innate potentialities of perception, knowledge, activity and joy to a degree of highest perfection. And it is significant that all find themselves placed in the middle of the struggle against "KARMA", the impact of previous action.. "KARMA" denotes that substance which we continually absorb as the result of our bodily and mental activity. As such, it remains latent in the depths of our being, until it "ripens" at the critical moment of our destiny. Then it emerges, determining the whole set-up of our complex personality in so far as it is foreign to the "soul " and shaping the final course of our fate. We produce Karma by walking and speaking, by eating and breathing, by loving and hating, by helping and harming. And a different kind of activity produces a different kind of Karma which may ripen either immediately or after some time, or even in one or another of our subsequent: existences. yAdRzaM kriyate karma tAdRzaM bhujyate phalam / yAdRzamupyate bIjaM tAdRzaM prApyate phalam / /

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HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA: "As the fruit attained corresponds to the seed that is sown, so the result we incur corresponds to the actions we eommit." By acting in such a way as to harm others, we produce Karma which will make us suffer to a proportionate extent. And similarly, by acting so as to benefit others, we store up a corresponding amount of latent happiness. Besides, there are actions which destine our bodily constitution, our surroundings, as well as the length of our life. And there are actions, too, which determine the limits of our perception and knowledge, of our capacity to enjoy and to be successful, Thus to produce favourable Karma by dint of good deeds is to secure the basis of a happy lot. Similarly to incur unfavourable Karma by evil deeds means to sow the seeds of future sorrow. And to stop the bondage of Karma altogether leads naturally to the removal of everything that is foreign to the soul in our personaliiy. This must be accompanied, of course, with the consumption of all the remaining latent Karmas attached to our being. This condition of our being means self-realisation. It means that final state in which the soul, relieved of all its burdens, is soul in its pure essence. It is soul in the fullest possession of perception, knowledge, strength and joy. This is the state called "MOKSHA', or emancipation, the Salvation' of Jainism. III The Law of Karma is the commonest of all natural jaws. In its operation in the psychical sphere, it corres

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THE MESSAGE OE JAINISM ponds to the law of conservation of forces as operating in the physical sphere. Its recognition, as such, necessarily leads up to the glorification of the Principle of Ahimsa or Non-violence in Jainism. For, according to the Law of Karma, a living being that causes suffering to a fellow creature, even the lowest developed one, cannot do so without harming its own soul. It does not matter whether it does this in order to further its own advantage or for any other reason. One cannot commit voilence, obviously, without tumbling down a greater or smaller distance from the height of inner development one has reached. Nor can it be done without incurring, sooner or later, a disturbance in the harmonious balance of one's own personality as an inevitable consequence. What brings suffering to one, can never be a source of real joy to another. And whenever it appears to be so, it is because the limited range of our perception obscures our understanding of the slow but sure effectiveness of this Law of Eternal Justice. This explains why the saying " ahiMsA paramo dharmaH" plays such an important part in the daily life of the religiously inspired Jaina. His sensitive heart, conforming to this principle, acts like the inspired agent of his mind and warns him of every disturbance of well-being in the community of fellow-creatures around him. It spontaneously causes him to insert the resistance of self-control within the circuit of his own activity, or to restrain that of others towards its proper course. Strictly speaking, all the Indo-Aryan religions recognise the Law of Karma in one shape or another.

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HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA: all such religions that accept this primary law, Jainism holds a place apart with its all-embracing doctrine of the soul. It is in Jainism that the principle of Ahimsa or Nonviolence has got the highest theoretical as well as practica importance. And it is in Jainism, too, that its place has been supported more logically than anyLaw of Karma where else. Moreover Jainism differs as Expounded from the various other religous systems: by Jainism in that it does not believe the soul to be completely helpless in its dependence on Karma. Accordingly it does not view the soul as hopelessly condemned to act and react upon the consequences of deeds, as it were like an automatic machine, and to beyond all responsibility for its moral attitude and action Jainism, on the contrary clearly states that the individual gifted with a certain amount of freedom of will. This is however, a fact which none among all the conventiona writers on Jainism has up till now duly emphasized. And yet this tenet forms one of the most important and intricate aspects of the doctrine of Karma, as expounded at full lengthin the Jaina Scriptures. They accept, no doubt, that the soul is indeed constantly under the control of Karma. They admit, as well, that its body and its sufferings and joys are also shaped by Karma. And they recognize, too, that even those passions that move it, and all the fatal instincts that disturb it, are predestined under the impact of Karma or previous deeds. But on the other hand, they most emphatically declare that the soul is invested with the freedom to exercise its own resolution. Acting under its own free will, it can break the most hideous of the fetters of

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THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM this very Karma. In this manner, the soul becomes capable of destroying its own evil propensities and of extinguishing. the flames of all the various kinds of passion, before they have time to overpower it. That means, according to Jainism, the first essential step towards religious activity is nothing but the positive application of one's own free will.. It implies that to a considerable extent the soul is, indeed, the lord of its own fate. Thus Jaininsm does not benumb its followers by holding before them the terrors of Karma. Nor does it enjoin them to take shelter behind a languid and unhealthy fatalism, as many people suppose all Oriental religions do. On the contrary, it trains the individual to become a true hero on the battlefield of life, with self-conquest as its one objective. For, it surely presumes a great deal of heroism on the part of the individual, to make him fully realise the cruel irony of this play of life. It is indeed a pathetic spectacle to witness all creatures strive after happiness by all means. of physical and mental activity within their power! From eating, drinking, sleeping, dressing, up to sport and play, traffic and trade, art and science, they strive after happiness, at any cost, even at the cost of the well-being of others. And the end they reach is alas! just the contrary-the incurring of undesirable Karma, and, with it, latent sorrow and suffering. To make him realise all this, to make him fully aware that he cannot even quietly sit and breathe, without killing and harming life round about, calls indeed for a heroic spirit in the spectator of this strange.

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10 HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA : drama of life. To make him know that thus killing and harming brother-souls, he is only adding to the stock of his own misfortunes, and still to encourage him to take up the desperate struggle against this world of dark forces within and around him, calls no doubt for the heroic mettle in man ! How can he take up this desperate struggle ? kaha care kahaM ciDhe kahaM Ase kahaM sae / kahaM bhuMjato bhAsaMto pAvaM kammaM na bandhai // " How to move, how to stand, how to sit, how to lie down, how to eat and how to speek without incurring undesirable Karma?" The Dasavajkalika Sutra (IV. 7 ff.), after giving a detailed description of the harm people do to other creatures merely by careless behaviour, puts forth these questions and immediately follows them up with appropriate answers : jayaM care jayaM ciThe jayamAse jaya se| jayaM bhujanto bhAsanto pAvaM kamma na bandhai // "By moving with care, by standing with care, by sitting with care, by lying down with care, by eating with care and by speaking with care, one can avoid incurring undesirable Karma." The Acharanga Sutra discusses this subject in full breadth and the Sutrakritanga Sutra, which goes even more

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THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM into the depth of the intricate problem, goes so far as to affirm (II. 4) that the soul is incurring bad Karma at any time whatsoever, even if it does not directly do anything evil. The process is carried on even in sleep, or in a state of unconsciousness, for that matter. It is like the action of a man who has made up his mind to kill a certain person at the first best opportunity and, in pursuance of his plan, goes about with his murderous intent haunting him day and night. His sub-conscious mind in this state is laden all along with hostile sentiments towards the object of his inner hatred. In the some manner, the individual is continually driven by hostile sentiments towards the whole of creation, as long as he is inwardly prepared to satisfy his physical instincts, the moment they goad him, at the cost of the well-being of any other creature. IV According to the Scriptures, there is only one way by which the individual can save himself from incurring bad Karma. It is the way of the " PratyakhThe Way of the yana", the solemn vow which restricts Pratyakh- the sphere of harmful acting. For, it is, yanas. after all, not enough not to do evil deeds, but one must avoid them with full intention and deliberate resolution. Thus, for example one can vow not to eat meat in order to give an assurance. of safety, Abhayadana, the noblest of all gifts, to a large group of animals. Similary, one can vow not to eat at night in order to put another kind of limit to one's actions

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12 HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA : involving indirect harm to others. Even so, one may vow not to wcar silk or fur, or leather foot-wear for the benefit of the animals producing it. Just so, one may vow not to pluck flowers, or not to kill any animal whatsoever, down to worms and insects, in order to ensure the boon of safety to all living creatures. One can vow, in the same way, not to waste any articles of daily use, such as water, fire, food and clothes, beyond one's actual requirements. And one can vow, as well, not to encourage the capturing and training of wild animals for the sake of sport or amusement, by avoiding to visit shows in which they are exhibited. Besides, one can vow to avoid thousands of similar actions involing direct or indirect injury to other creatures. There are various kinds of Pratyakhyanas, or solemn vows, ranging from Pratyakhyanas of single actions of the above type, up to the set group of the five all-inclusive Pratyakhyanas called the Pancha Mahavrata or the Five Great Vows. These comprise the Vow of Non-violence, avoiding all physical injury to living creatures, the Vow of Truthfulness, avoiding all verbal misrepresentations, the Vow of Non-stealing, avoiding misappropriation of things belonging to others, the Vow of Celebacy, renouncing sexual intercourse and everything connected therewith, and the Vow of Non-possession, abjuring all property or belongings of any kind. These Five Sacred Vows are taken by every Jaina monk at the time of his initiation in a form of absolute strictness. They prohibit not only the doing of these objectionable things, but also the causing of their being done, and the approval one might give to their being done by thought,

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THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM : 13 word or action. The Five Great Vows thus ensure, indeed, the maximum degree of faultlessness which can be attained in this world. And this exalted pitch can only be attained by persons of the highest qualities, who do not care to keep up any private attachment whatsoever. Thus a genuine Jaina monk, even one of the twentieth century, will never use any vehicle, nor shoes, nor keep money, nor touch a woman, nor kindle and warm before a fire, nor use unboiled water. Neither will he take any food containing a trace of life, nor accept such eatables as have been expressly prepared for him. He will not touch a green plant for fear lest its delicate body might suffer pain from the rough contact. And he will not keep any belongings, except his beggingbowl, his stick and the scanty clothes covering his body These few things, at any rate, cannot well be called 'property in the sense of the Scriptures; for, in this case, they lack the main quality which marks all property--the attachment of of the owner. And there is even a small group of Jaina monks who renounce these few articles too, walking about unclad and using their hands as their eating vessels. But there are only a few of them in the whole of India, the Dig-Ambara or Sky-clad monks, as they are called, whereas the other branch, the Syetambara or White-clad monks come to several hundreds. The extent of the usual Pratyakhyanas, or the sacred religious vows, earmarked for laymen, on the other hand, is covered by a group of fixed vows called the Twelve Laymen Vows. These can be taken in various grades of strictness

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14 HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA : and in an optional number, so as to suit the varying needs of different individuals. Although they stand below the standard of the Five Great Ascetical Vows, they still repre-- sent a high level of ethical conduct. These two groups of fundamental vows are so constituted that they are to be taken only once in the whole life and to be kept lifelong with utmost purity, both by monks and laymen alike. Not only the monks, but also the laymen among Jainas are very particular about taking and keeping, in addition, a number of other detatched vows of a similar character for an optional period. For, the Pratyakhyana, the solemn vow, is the very key to 'MOKSHA'or salvation. The constant observance of such vows alone can lead to final liberation. Thus there is practically no Jaina who will eat meat or fish or fowl or even eggs, and there is no Jaina who will intentionally and without purpose kill or trouble a harmless living creature, be it even a fly. Most Jainas even avoid potatoes, onions, garlics and other such vegetables believed to be endowed with a higher potency, as well as eating at night. Similarly, most Jainas take for certain days the vow of abstension from green vegetables or from travelling and moving out, or the vow of chastity and vows of numberless things connected with daily life. The theoretical as well as practical valuation of the different kinds and grades of Pratyakhyanas, or the solemn

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15 THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM religious vows, depends not only on their duration or on the quantity of the objects concerned, but, first of all, on the higher worth of their intrinsic quality. Qualitative For, though all the souls, that is, all the Value of the living creatures, are equal in their Pratyakh- original being, they are still observed to yanas be in various phases of development towards perfection. They differ in so far as they are in varying stages of self-realisation. According to the basic principle of economy, the higher developed creatures are valued higher than the lower developed ones. Therefore, the Karma bound by harming a higher developed being is thought to be of graver consequences than that bound by injuring a lower creature. Thus, plucking a handful of vegetables is, by far, less harmful than killing a crow; killing a menacing tiger is less harmful than the murder of a peaceful antelope. And punishing a dangerous criminal is, in the same way, of less consequence than an offence done to a saintly monk. This valuation, by-the-bye, seems to be reflected even in those less refined, yet universally adopted conceptions which prevail among large sections of mankind. For instance, they condemn cannibalism will all expressions of disgust, though they do not object to the slaughtering of animals for food and other purposes. In a similar way, they strictly forbid the bloodshed of a human being, but allow the execution of a murderer, or the slaying of an attacking or otherwise threatening foe. It is clear that all such persons are acting against the principles of ethics. and therefore stand self-condemned.

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16 HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA: So far, we have considered the important aspect of the Pratyakhyana of Himsa, that is, Injury, or the Vow of Non-Violence. It offers a precaution against the incurring of new latent suffering by deliberately abstaining from actions which are likely to cause injury to others. It has its counterpart in the attempts of securing new latent happiness, by furthering the well-being of others. Of course, there is no hope of gaining genuine happiness, that is, happiness absolutely pure and unhampered, as long as the soul is infested by particles of Karma of either kind. Even so, a certain amount of good Karma is a necessary condition in order to secure an adequate bodily and mental constitution. For, it is from the basis of such constitution alone that a struggle against the hampering particles of bad Karma can be successfully, taken up. Good Karma is believed to be secured by acts of charity, hospitality and selfless service. And here, too, a gradation of objects can be observed. It is, of course, meritorious to practise charity wherever our heart is moved to compassion. It is meritorious to build the Pinjarapoles - Animal Houses-for the relief of poor sick animals, as it is meritorious to provide the poor and the hungry with bread, people suffering from cold with clothes, and homeless ones with a roof over their heads. Still nothing can come up to the service done to a poor pious brother in the following of Mahavira. The more he comes up to the ideal laid down in the Scriptures, the higher is considered to be the merit of serving him. This explains the remarkable zeal with which one can see the Sravakas, the Jaina laymen, hasten to

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THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM 17 feast a brother Jaina, especially on the completion of a fast of long duration. It also accounts for the readiness with which a Jaina community or a Jaina institution hastens to receive a foreign scholar who happens to be, a student of Jainism. It is significant that the learned activity of such a scholar in connection with Jainism is looked upon as carrying an undoubted religious merit in it. And last, but not least, it also explains the unspeakable pleasure and devotion with which a Jaina family sees approching towards their door the saintly monk or nun for the purpose of receiving their alms. Their joy becomes evident as the holy monk or nun enters the house with the greeting of " Dharmalabha"-"May you attain the vision of "religion!" or a similar greeting, and allows the lord or lady of the house to put a small quantity of eatables into their bowl. And even this is accepted on a clear understanding that the action involves no direct or indirect injury to anybody, and that everything is in strictest accordance with the rules of monastic conduct and decency. Now, I have been asked several times to affirm the truth of a strange story: Do the Jainas carry the virtue of charity so far as to cause, now and then, some poor wretch whom they pay off, to yield his body as a pastureground where lice and fleas and other similar creatures can have their fill? Let me say that, according to my firm belief, this horrible allegation must be nothing but a bold invention. And if, against all probability, it be true that some misguided fanatic did such a thing, then he must have surely acted in straight opposition to the basic tenets of Z

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HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA : Jainism. For, it is obvious that to make a being so highly developed as a human soul suffer in such an abject manner, in the name of the humanest of all religions would clearly fall under the category of the worst and meanest injury - Himsa. And besides, it would mean a downright insult to Religion in general. VI Let us now return to the basic problem of the relation of the individual to the community. The social conduct prescribed by Jainism under this head is characterised by the four attitudes of "MAITRI", "PRAMODA", "KARUNYA" and "MADHYASTHYA" - Amity, Appreciation, Compassion and Equanimity. They have been properly defined and grouped together in the following stanzas : mA kArSIt ko'pi pApAni mA ca bhUt ko'pi duHkhitaH / mucyatAM jagadapyeSA matimaitrI nigadyate // apAstAzeSadoSANAM vastutattvAvalokinAm / guNeSu pakSapAto yaH sa pramodaH prakIrtitaH // dIneSvArteSu bhIteSu yAcamAneSu jIvitam / pratIkAraparA buddhiH kAruNyamabhidhIyate // krUrakarmasu niHzakaM devatAgurunindiSu / AtmazaMsiSu yopekSA tanmAdhyasthyamudIritam //

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THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM 19 "Amity is said to be that mentality which makes one wish that no creature may commit sins, that no creature may endure any suffering, and that the whole universe may attain Salvation. " That attitude is said to be Appreciation which shows full admiration for the virtues of those who have shaken off all sins and who can penetrate through the essence of all things " Compassion is said to be that attitude of mind which inclines one to help all creatures who are afflicted and needy, who are beset with fear and who beg for their lives. "Equanimity is said to be that attitude of impartiality, or rather of lenient indifference, which one should have towards those who commit cruel deeds, who openly blaspheme the Divine or the spiritual teacher, and who are given to blatant self-applause." It is clear that all such principles, put in action, guarantee the highest amount of happiness and peace within the whole brotherhood of living creatures. They promise such a heavenly state of general bliss that one might wish them to be universally adopted and followed for the benefit of all that lives. On the.other hand, it is true that their fulfilment must entail what appears to be a kind of sacrifice on behalf of the individual. This apparent sacrifice is being called for in order to bring about the desired state of general well-being for the

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20 HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA : whole community of living creatures. To this end, the individual is exhorted to forgo a certain Perfect Indivi. amount of personal happiness, or of the dual Welfare means of comfort, under even the most guaranteed insignificant of Pratyakhyanas, or the by Jainism religious vows. This self-abnegation is, more or less, bound up with every one of the individual's positive efforts to enhance the happiness of other creatures. It is clear, however, that if the individual felt this apparent sacrifice as a breach of its primary right to happiness, then the balance of personal and general well-being advocated by Jainism would, indeed, remain incomplete. In such a case, Jainism could not evidently claim to have fulfilled its noble task of assuring both personal and general welfare in the ideal way propounded before. But, as a matter of reality, both the sides are in perfect harmony, there being considerations which reconcile the individual to the so-called self-sacrifice. They make him realise that, on the contrary, he is benefited by this sacrifice and that the benefit by far outweighs the apparent loss or inconvenience involved in the act of selfdenial. First of all, the motive cause of such sacrifice is itself deeply rooted in the individual's desire to enhance its own personal welfare. For, if the individual submits to those restrictions, it does so in order to shun incurring unfavourable Karma and, therewith, storing up latent suffering. Similarly, if the individual resorts to those actions considered to be beneficial to other beings in a positive sense,

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THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM 21 it does so in order to produce favourable Karma and to secure thereby latent happiness. And moreover both these kinds of actions, those of negavtive self-denial and of positive benefaction, the individual performs, urged by certain forces in its own natural disposition, which from part of its conscience. I mean those emotions of sympathy and compassion which make us place ourselves in the situation of a suffering creature and suffer with it. And we feel its suffering all the more, especially when we have reason to feel ourselves responsible for its outcome. Such is our reaction in the case of a butterfly rushing into the light we allowed to burn uncovered in our carelessness, or in the case of a bird which was starved in its cage through our forgetfulness. No less affecting is the case of a helpless deer which we killed with our own hands in a fit of huntsman's Zeal. How sick and miserable does the woeful sight of its mutilated body make us then! It is that universal sentiment which Hemchandra, the great Acharya and teacher of King Kumarapala of Gujarat, has expressed in that oft-quoted stanza (Yoga. sastra, II. 20): AtmavatsarvabhUteSu sukhaduHkhe priyaapriye| cintayannAtmano'niSTAM hiMsAmanyasya nAcaret // "In happiness or suffering, in joy or grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self. We should, therefore, refrain from inflicting upon others such injury as would appear undesirable to us, if inflicted upon ourselves."

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22 HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA : Akin to inclinations of this kind is a certain sense of chivalrousness, native generosity, which often prevails in our actions. We are swayed by it particularly when we see a small innocent creature lying at our mercy. This happens, of course, when our mind is calm enough to feel its utter helplessness to visualize its piteous suffering. It is that noble sentiment which, at times, unfailingly overcomes even a hard-hearted hunter engaged in a game of senseless shooting. The mutterings of conscience awaken in him such a state a feeling of regret, though perhaps for a moment only, for having joined such a disgraceful sport as must cause the wholesale slaughter of many a helpless creature. Another feeling of this kind has its origin in a natural instinct of economy. With sensible persons it carries a powerful appeal in favour of Ahimsa or Non-violence. They feel a spontaneous conviction that it is not right to kill, or cause to be killed, such a highly organised creature as a pigeon or a deer or a cow, in order to gratify one's unbridled appetite. For a dish of well-dressed vegetables would just serve the same purpose as well, if not better. All these and others of our social instincts are satisfied by avoiding harming and trying to benefit our fellowcreatures. This, in itself, is undoubtedly a valuable personal gain for the individual. VII In addition to avoiding evil and securing good Karma, and to satisfying its innate social instincts, the

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THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM individual gains a third advantage by adopting an attitude of self-abnegation. And it is perhaps the most valuable of all advantages, for it consists in Renunciation, that genuine and abiding bliss which the Highroad renunciation alone can give. to Lasting For, what is the good of trying Happiness to gratify all the wishes, all the passions, all the ambitions one may feel inclined to? Is the advantage gained thereby, indeed, worth so much hankering, so much worrying and so much harming? No, says the sage: the happiness that we crave for is fleeting like a dream, like a cloud, like beauty. It leaves the bitterness of its absence behind as soon as it has passed away. Like a dose of opium, it leaves behind an intense craving for more and more. It is just as the Uttaradhayana Sutra states it to be : suvannarUvassa u pavvayA bhave siyA hu kelAsasamA asaMkhayA / narassa luddhassa na te hi kiMci icchA hu AgAsasamA aNaMtiyA / / "Let there be mountains of gold and silver, let them be as high as the Everest, and innumerable too. Still to man in his greediness, they will mean nothing. For, Desire is boundless like space." So what is the good of hankering for a drop of nectar when you are thirsty for a cupful? And since the cupful has been denied to you, why bother about the drop ? Shake off that foolish wish and forget it. Moreover the happiness you crave for, if gained, means possession. It is possession of land or fortune, of fields

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HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA: or estate, of beauty.or skill, of friends or family, of honour or reputation. And possession involves sorrow by the need of its maintenance. You have continually to take care of your land and of your fortune; you have to resort to lots of contrivances if you want to preserve your beauty or to retain your skill. You have to render sacrifice after sacrifice for your friends and for your family. You tremble for their lives when sickness shakes them and suffer agonies when fate seperates you from them. And the concern about his position and prestige has even sufficed to urge a person to suicide and other dangerous steps. In short, to speak in the words of Bhartrihari, the great Sanskrit epigrammatic writer : sarva vastu bhayAnvitaM kSititale vairAgyamevAbhayam / "Everything on earth is infested with fear ; the one thing which is immutable is the equanimity that comes from detachment." What is the good of a happiness which involves so much agony? What is the good of this feasting with the fateful sword of sorrow ever hanging above your head ? Would it not be much better to give up all this possession which promises, after all, such doubtful happiness? Why not give it up, as those sages of old did, of whom the Uttaradhayana Sutra (IX. 15 f.) says: cattaputtakalattassa nivvAvArassa bhikkhunno| piyaM na vijai kiMci appiyaM pi na vijjai //

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25 THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM 25 bahuM khu muNiNo bhaddamaNAgArassa bhikkhunno| sanvato viSamukkassa egaMtamaNupassao / / "To the begging monk who has renounced familylife as well as all secular activity, nothing appears desirable and nothing undesirable. "Great, indeed, is the bliss of the monk, the homeless mendicant, who is free from all attachment and who is inspired by a serene solitude." And then, affirm the wise, you may hanker for its attainment or trouble for its preservation; all this happiness which you are so particular about, means slavery in the last resort. The anxiety you feel about it fills your mind and mars your thinking from morn till night. So much engrossed are you in your continuous worrying about your business, your position, your hobbies, your friends, your pleasures, and your wife and children, that you never find time to ask yourself why you are doing all that. Nor do you ever inquire as to what you are living for or whither you are steering to. You think that you do not care to ponder over it. But in reality, you have not the freedom to do so, for you are the slave of your attachment to that hollow bit of fleeting happiness, which, in truth, is no happiness at all. Would it not be much better for you to detach 'yourself from all this, to be your own master, emancipated like the Rishis (sages) and Munis (recluses) of old ? Without comfort and property, without ambition and position, without wife and children, were they not truly the lords of this world in their solitary meditations, unaffected by any secular considerations ?

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26 HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA : arthAnAmArjane duHkhamArjitAnAM ca rakSaNe / Aye duHkhaM vyaye duHkhaM ghig dravyaM duHkhavardhanam // apAyabahulaM pApaM ye parityajya saMzritAH / tapovanaM mahAsattvAste dhanyAste tapasvinaH / / " The acquisition of property involves trouble and so does its preservation, when acquired. There is trouble in earning and trouble in spending. Therefore cursed be wealth that increases unhappiness! "Blessed are those ascetics, enlightened souls are they, who have given up all sin, the producer of so much suffering, and who have found their refuge in the woodland grove of a hermitage." It is indeed significant that people in India have been giving to such noble souls titles like "Svami" (Lord), 'Maharaja' (Great Master) and others which, in olden times, were applicable only to those sages who truly renounced the world. They were no doubt the living examples of the truth that renunciation meant power, for they had realised in themselves that royal happiness of ascetic detachment, where there is na ca rAjabhayaM na ca corabhayaM ___ ihalokasukhaM paralokahitam / naradevanataM varakIrtikaraM zramaNatvamidaM ramaNIyataram // "No fear of the king, no fear of robbers; happiness in this world and bliss in the next; reverence shown by

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THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM 27 men and gods; and the crown of glory its mellow fruit : enchanting indeed is this ascetic life." Or in other words : na cendrasya sukhaM kiMcinna sukhaM cakravartinaH / sukhamasti viraktasya munerekAntanIvinaH // "The happiness of the king of gods, the happiness of the emperor of the world, is nothing compared to the happiness of the monk who lives detached in the benign solitude of his soul." VIII All such considerations lead to the second great doctrine of Jainism, Samyama, or Continence, practised by the continuous control of one's aggressive desires and by giving up one's regard for physical happiness. The Jaina concept of Continence allows the individual to embrace whatever degree of renunciation he deems appropriate to his personal conviction and The Doctrine of capacity. In the same way as Ahimsa, or Samyama or Non-violence, Samyama, or Continence Continence can be practised through various kinds of Pratyakhyanas or the sacred religious vows. And since Non-violence itself is impracticable without the exercise of Self-Continence, and Continence, on the other hand, necessarily conduces to Non-violence, the sacred vows concerning the former practically fall together with those concerning the latter principle. Thus the summit of the vows concerning Non-violence, reached

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28 HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA : through the Five Great Vows of the monks, namely Noninjury, Truthfulness, Non-stealing, Celebacy and Nonpossession, forms also the summit of the vows concerning the principle of Self-Continence. However, the object remains the same. It is only the perspective that has changed. The principle of Nonviolence imposed the duty of avoiding actions that were potentially capable of harming others. To this is now added the further obligation of abstaining from actions which are likely to disturb one's own equanimity and peace of mind. For such actions may well hamper one in that religious activity which is so essential for one's real welfare. Thus the principle of Samyama or Self-Continence evidently stands in the foreground of all religious advancement. While it absolutely prohibits to the monks heavy food, excessive sleep, sexual intercourse, use of vicious drugs and all intoxicating substances, it enjoins. the laymen to give up some of these partially and some totally. In this context, the Scriptures command explicitly never to give way to any of the four fundamental passions-Anger, Pride, Deceit and Covetousness. These, with many other regulations, fall under the principle of Continence, even though, ultimately, they are rooted in Non-violence or Ahimsa. And the last of these, Covetousness, includes, besides avarice, all kinds of attachment to property, to lifeless as well as living things. There is also another favourable approach to the attainment of one's spiritual well-being. In fullest accord. with the laws of ethics, it is very closely akin to, and

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THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM based on, renunciation : I mean, TAPAS or Austerityself-imposed suffering undertaken for religious purposes. The primary object which a Jaina has in view, when practising such austerites can be underThe Concept of stood from the idea that all suffering Tapas leads to the completion and eliminating of bad Karma. Besides, the voluntary acceptance of certain hardships has the further advantage of rendering valuable assistance, at the same time, in the Tealisation of the other two great principles of Ahimsa and Samyama -Non-violence and Self-continence. Thus : sauNI jai paMsuguMDiyA vihuNiya dhaMsayai siyaM rayam / evaM davio vahANavaM kammaM khavai tavassI mAhaNe // (Dasavaikalika Sutra) " As a bird gets rid of the dust with which it is covered, by shaking itself, just so the monk, who practises austerities, consumes and eliminates his Karma." To get rid of Karma is, as we saw before, the first step towards self-realisation and through it, towards the highest spiritual bliss. This is the reason why austerity play such an important part in the life of the Jaina whether a monk or a layman. Various ways of practising austerities have been laid down in the Jaina Scriptures. They have to be started under the respective Pratyakhyanas or sacred vows, after their duration and other items have been duly fixed. As regards Tapas, there are vows by which the quality, quantity or time of one's meals is reduced or restricted. It may range from the simple giving up of

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30 HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA : special kinds of food, or of eating at night and from partial fasts and fasts of a whole day or several days, upto fasts of more than a month's duration. There are vows, moreover, by which one undertakes to practise certain ascetical postures, to meditate for a fixed time, to devote a certain time to the regular study of religious works, to the service of co-religionists, and so on. Several forms of austerity are at the same time recommended as strengthening and hardening one's bodily and mental powers. The Ambil Fast, a kind of bread-and-water diet, excluding all milk, fat, sugar, spices etc., for example, and also certain Asanas or ascetic postures indeed enhance these powers, if observed within certain limits. Of an entirely different character, however, is the austerity called Samlekhana, or Sallekhana, by which the individual solemnly resigns all food for the rest of his life. In this he strictly follows the instructions laid down in the Avasyaka Sutra, the whole of the last chapter of which is devoted exclusively to the subject of the Pratyakhyanas.. This form of austerity is resorted to by people who are extremely pious, at the time when they feel death positively approaching. Thus it is true that under certain specific circumstances Jainism does allow the vow of Self-starvation. But it would be wrong to imagine from this that its ideal is the extinguishing of all personal activity. The truth is just the contrary. Jainism proclaims self-realisation as the aim of individual life. But it is self-realisation which, at the same time, forms the basis of the well-being of all

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THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM 31 that lives. The attainment of this self-realisation pre-- supposes certain qualities on the part of the individual. It entails the highest exertion of all his bodily and mental powers. It demands from hlm a constant wakefulness and an iron will which accurately obeys the behests of intellect, bravely resisting all kinds of internal and external temptations. Speaking more practically, it suggests a sort of reasonable self-preservation within the narrowest limits possible. This view is admirably illustrated in the parable, according to which six hungry travellers came to a mangotree and consulted as to how best to obtain its fruit. The first suggested the uprooting of the whole tree as the: promptest measure, while the second said it would just do to cut the crown. The third wanted to cut some taller and the fourth some smaller branches. The fifth proposed to pluck merely as many fruits as they required, whereas. the last pointed out that the ripe fruits which the wind. had blown down on the grass were amply sufficient to satisfy their hunger. The six men symbolize, in the above order, the six Lesyas or "soul-imprints," representing the various gradations of inner purity. It is quite characteristic of the spirit of Jainism that the representative of the "white imprint", the type of highest purity, advises to eat the fruits fallen on the grass. It must be noted, however, that he does not advise merely sittingdown in complete self-resignation and die of hunger, asan absolute and one-sided negation of life would suggest.

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32 HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA The principle of Self-preservation within the reasona ble limits of moral fairness is clearly The Principle of directly formulated in the Jaina Scrip Self-preser- tures. In critical situations, they vation recommend it even at the cost of renunciation or Samyama, the practice of Self-Continence : savvattha saMjamaM, saMjamAo appANameva rakkhijjA / muccai bhaivAyAo puNo visohI na yAviraI // saMjamaheu deho dhArijai so kao u tadabhAve / saMjamaphAinimittaM dehaparipAlanA iTThA / / (Oghaniryukti, Stanzas 47-48) "Before all, one should guard the vow of Selfcontinence; but even at the cost of Self-continence, one should guard one's Self. For, one can get rid again of the sin of transgression, which is not religious licentiousness in any case, if one atones for it afterwards. "The body is the instrument of Self-continence. How could a man exercise self-continence without the help of his body? It is, therefore, desirable to protect one's body even in the interests of Samyama or Continence." Thus even the rules laid down for monks indicate the important bearings of this principle of Self-preservation, for the above two stanzas refer expressly to monastic conduct. The monk, it is true, is supposed to fast and

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THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM to renounce, to observe absolute chastity, to meditate and to suffer all kinds of inconveniences and hardships. But he has, on the other hand, special instructions provided for him, as to how he should accept, within prescribed limits, pure food and other requisites of life offered to him. He has been furnished with full guidance as to how he should conduct his normal activities, such as how to walk and how to sleep, how to sit and how to speak, how to serve his fellow-ascetics and how to receive service from them. He has, moreover, explicit directions concerning how to preach and how to dispute in controversies, how to work and how to move in this world as it is, with its saints and its criminals, its laymen and women, its Hindus and Buddhists, its scholars and peasants, and its kings and beggars. In short, he is taught how to regulate his whole bodily and mental activity in such a way as to be in constant and undisturbed peace with all that lives around him, under all conditions given. He is shown the way how to secure his own maximum personal happiness in such a manner as to contribute, even thereby, to the collective welfare of the world. In other words, he is taught how to help in making the world more perfect by increasing his own perfection. IX Thus the very secret of Jainism is contained in the three important words--Ahimsa or Non-violence, Samyama or Continence, and Tapas or Austerity. These are three tenets which the famous first stanza of the Dasavai kalika

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34 HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA: Sutra so beautifully groups together as the essence of religion : dhammo maMgalamukkiTThamarhisA saMjamo tavo / devA vi taM namassaMti jassa dhamme sayA maNo / " Religion is the highest of all blessings. It comprises Non-violence, Continence and Austerity. Even the gods salute that person whose mind is always centred in Religion." Then the Sutra continues with the following classical verses which are, like the above one, amongst those to be daily recited by the monks : jahA dummassa pupphesu bhamaro Aviyai rasam / Na ya puppha kilAmei so a pINei appayam // emee samaNA muttA jai loe saMti saahunno| vihaMgamA va pupphesu dANabhattesaNArayA / / vayaM ca vitiM labbhAmo na ya koi uvahammai / ahAgaDesu rIyaMte pupphesu bhamarA jahA // mahugArasamA buddhA je bhavaMti annissiyaa| nANApiMDarayA daMtA teNa vuccaMti sAhuNo // "As the bee sucks honey from the blossoms of a tree and gets sated of its thirst without causing pain to the blossom,

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THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM 35 "Just so are those monks, immune from all attachment, who are acclaimed as true sages in this world. As the bees with the blossoms, so are they gratified with begging their alms. " Their sentiment is: 'Let us find something to subsist upon, without causing harm to any creature. *This is why they go in quest of what they find ready, just as the bee moves among the blossoms. " Enlightened, indeed, are they, who act like the bees and who are independent. Satisfied are they with whatever food they obtain, and ever self-controlled. That is why they are called Sages." .. The ideal of what human life can be like, what it wught to be like, in the light of all these conceptions, is embodied in the figure of the Jina or .Jina Arhat. He is the supposed initiator of a * The Image of new period of reawakening in Jainism Perfection after a period of decay. Many such Arhats are said to have appeared on earth before and many are expected to appear in future too. Many are said to be living even now in distant supraearthly regions. The Jina or Arhat is the man who has attained the summit of perfection. He is the person who stands at the threshold of Salvation, " Moksha", ready to enter - Siddhasila", the home of eternal bliss, from where there is no return into this world of imperfection. His Karmas, with the exception of some neutral ones, have withered away, and the inborn qualities of his benign

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36 HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA : soul are expanded in fullest beauty and majesty. He is omniscient, all-perceiving, filled with infinite joy and infinite strength. He is free from all passion, all attachment; free also from desire, for desire is nothing but an index of imperfection. And yet he is man and has to keep his human body as long as the neutral rest of his. Karmas force him to keep it. He is man and, as suggested so beautifully by one part of the Jaina tradition--the Svetambar branch,--has to satisfy the requirements of his human body. He begs his food and he eats and drinks within the limits prescribed for a monk, since the rest of his Karmas require him to do so. Even so, the rest of his Karmas require him to live exclusively for the benefit of the world, that is, of those souls who are still in the grip of dangerous Karmas. For, as long as he lives in his human shape, he goes about, showing the whole of creation the right path by preaching and teaching, and by the example of his own model life. And it is obvious. that the activity and life of the Perfect One must indeed turn out to be a blessing, since he is bound to attract: masses of followers and imitators. This image of perfection is what the Jaina worships as his highest religious ideal, his 'god', if one chooses to say so. He adorns his statue with pearls and diamonds, with roses and jasmines, and costly champak flowers. He fans it, as one fans a great king on his throne, he burns: sweet frankincense before it, and builds beautiful temples over it, beautiful and costly as fairy palaces. He takes it -round the city in splendid processions, on golden cars, followed by crowds of singing women dressed in beautifully

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37 THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM coloured sarees glittering with gold. Still he knows in his heart that his god dwells high beyond all this. He knows too that all this devotion, this pious service is nothing but an expression of his own admiration for his chosen ideal. It is, in truth, nothing but a means to bring this ideal closer before his eyes and the eyes of the world, both of whom are pretty well in need of it. Jainahood, in spite of its undiminished attractiveness as an ideal-or perhaps just on account of it, shares the fate of all other great ideals. As such, it remains high above the physical and mental standards of its admirers. and followers. And even the Jaina monkhood whic his but the reflection of this exalted ideal on the rough mirror of actual life, is high above the standard of the average man. Owing to the frailty of human nature and the diversity of human dispositions, it will always remain restricted to a few choice individuals, wanderers, as it were, on the heights of humanity. It must be remembered that institutions of Jainism take into account the world as it really is and humanity as it really is. Accordingly, the Scriptures offer no final answer to the question as to what would become of the universe, if all the people would turn monks. Hence it will always remain doubtful whether the venerable sage was right, who replied to the idle questioner that in such a case the good Karmas of mankind would cause wish-trees to grow and streams of nectar to flow and gods to descend from their heavenly abodes to serve at the feet of men. But even if it is not possible for everybody to come up to that ideal, still to recognize it as a worthy ideal and to

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-38 HERITAGE OF LORD MAHAVIRA : strive to cultivate as many of its virtues as one's consitution allows-even this much is considered to be a step towards advancement. X Expressed in just a few words, this is what I consider to be the innermost secret of Jainism. And at the same time, it is also a mental attitude without Necessity of which a real advancement of human applying Jaina culture is not possible. We are living Principles to in a generation which, by all means Modern Social imaginable, encourages an unlimited Problems selfishness on the one hand, and an unchecked violence offered to living creatures on the other. This takes the form of slaughter and war and misery. And then we think that our selfishness can be gratified by our callousness towards others and the harm we suffer can be undone by our doing violence to others. Has there ever been a greater and more fearful mistake? Why not recognize now that we have been wrong and that the way we have taken to must lead to a hopeless degeneration? Why not realize at last that selfishness cannot succeed unless it merges into a larger current of collective well-being? For there is no doubt that a beneficent attitude of general well-being, if reasonably worked out, must necessarily lead to perfect individual happiness. This clear and simple truth is the basis of that time-honoured doctrine which forms the legacy of the last Arhat. Even if taken as a symbol, it still represents such a noble image of Eternal Truth.

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39 THE MESSAGE OF JAINISM I have been often asked as to what I think to be the merit of Jainism as a practical religion. I have, therefore, tried to give a short answer today, which the general. public might be able and willing to follow. At first sight it might appear to be a one-sided answer, because it is. based solely on the problem of the mutual relations of the individual and the society. Still, this problem is one of vital importance and, as I said before, is the very touchstone by which the value of a religion can be objectively assessed. Hence it would not be too much to say, as I conclude, that this exposition may well stand as a kind of introduction into the spirit of Jainism.

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