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The Kaliedoscope of Jaina Wisdom
25
Also with regard to the other points mentioned the Śvetāmbaras profess the contrary opinion. They believe part of their ancient Prākệta literature, the holy Āgamas, to represent the genuine word of Lord Mahāvīra, taken down by his Ganadharas or chief pupils.
Both the great sects are divided into several subsects, amongst which the Calvinistic Sthānakavāsī and Teräpanthi sects of the Svetāmbaras deserve attention, because, probably influenced by Mohammedan ideas, they arose in opposition to idol-worship, and thereby put themselves in strong contrast with general Jaina tradition and ritual.
Apart from these, and some other discrepancies, Jainism shows, throughout, a surprising conformity of doctrine, which has not been essentially affected since Mahāvīra's days, and which reveals a splendid interpretation of the sense of life.
According to Jainism, the Universe is formed by an endless number of Jivas or individual souls, which, like the ‘monads' of Leibnitz, are in various stages of development, from the senseless and irrational Nigodas up to the Siddhas of highest perfection, and of five lifeless substances, viz., Space, Time, Matter, the Medium of Motion and the Medium of Rest. The Universe, which is eternal, has never been destroyed and will never be so. It is governed by nothing but its own eternal laws, and has the shape of a standing man, with the Hells in its lower, the world of Men in its middle, and the Heavens in its upper part. It is crowned by the umbrella-shaped region of the Siddhas, the Perfect Ones, called Siddhaśilā, and is surrounded by the empty Aloka.
The Soul is eternal, omniscient, of unlimited energy, and of unlimited happiness. But all these qualities can display themselves only if the soul is free from heterogeneous matter. And matter has, since eternal time, been tied together with Soul, in the shape of Karma. Every moment, new Karma is being heaped up by its countinuous activity. By this Karma, Pāpa as well as Punya, the
Soul's natural qualities are covered and made ineffective. Jainism Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only
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| SR No. | 001785 |
| Book Title | Charlotte Krause her Life and Literature |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Shreeprakash Pandey |
| Publisher | Parshwanath Vidyapith |
| Publication Year | 1999 |
| Total Pages | 674 |
| Language | English, Hindi, Gujarati |
| Classification | Book_English, Biography, & Articles |
| File Size | 11 MB |