Introduction to Jainism and its Culture

SR No.: 001605
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Balbhadra Jain
Publisher: Kundkund Gyanpith Indore
Publication Year: 2002
Total Pages: 334
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Religion, & Culture
File Size: 21 MB

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First of all a person has to decide what is his religious goal? What is his ideal? What he wants to become? Or what does he want to achieve? After that he has to choose a person for worship ideally suited to his goal. After all this he starts worshiping in his own way. There are those who believe in the all-powerful God and worship Him in one of his forms or his emanations in the form of deities by making suitable images. With them the purpose of worship is not the worship of His virtues but to please Him with their devotion and worship and gain favours and boons. They believe that God resides in the idol. Therefore, it is not the idol but God Himself and he will get pleased by their devotion and worship and will fulfill their desires. God is omnipotent. Seeing a mouse moving on the image of Siva, Swāmi Dayānanda strongly felt that a God who cannot protect him-self is not capable of protecting others. Due to this sentiment he always opposed idol-worship. Among those who ideologically believe in an omnipotent God who blesses with boons it is not unnatural to have antithetical belief like that of Swāmi Dayānanda.
Even with regard to idol-worship Jainism has presented an ideal worth emulating. It is a spiritualistic religion. Therefore, Jains made images in detached mood and meditative postures like lotus-posture, half-lotus-posture, or kāyotsargāsana (standing straight) with half-open eyes. These are based on the exact pose and posture used for spiritual practices by those who attained their spiritual goal through the three jewels (ratnatraya). As soon as one beholds such image the beholder gets the impression that the image is of a person who should, indeed, be a detached one, a conqueror over lust and all other perversions, and a nirgrantha who is free of all inner and outer knots of attachment and aversion. Jainism believes that this image is a symbol or representation of Arhanta and Jinendra Bhagavāna (Jain Tirthankara). It considers idol-worship to be symbolic worship and formulates the procedure of worshiping virtues through the worship of the image. Jainism supports the worship of ideals. Therefore, in the Jain procedure of worship there is no place for seeking fulfillment of personal or mundane desires. Acārya Samantabhadra states his ideal procedure of worship in these words -
Na pūjayārthastvayi vītarāge, na nindayā cāpi vivāntaverai. Tathāpi te punyaguna smrtirna, punāti cittam duritāñjanebhyaḥ.
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