________________
( xxiii ]
who engrosses himself in deliberation on Tattvas is privileged to
evolve right belief even without these practices. (8) Vyavahara-Naya describes the self and nonself substances,
their modifications and cause and effect relationship, etc. by intermingling one with the other; misbelief is caused by having such faith; therefore, one should abandone it. And NishchayNaya describes the substances, etc. exactly as they are; it does not intermingle one with the other. So right belief is evolved by
such faith. Therefore, one should possess its faith. (9) Therefore, so long as such state (passionless disposition) is not
evolved, one should indulge in virtuous activities but his belief should be such that these activities too are causes of bondage and worth giving up. If in belief these are taken to be the path of liberation then he is assuredly a Misbeliever (Mithya Dristhi).
Pandit Todarmalji has given prime importance to the practice of passionless conduct in the path of liberation. While attempting to define and explain Right Belief, Right Knowledge and Right Conduct, after analysing the traits of these three jewels at length, he concludes in the following words : "What to say more, in whatever way the belief of uprooting passions emerges, the same is right belief; by whatever means the knowledge of exterminating passions, etc. is evolved, the same is right knowledge and by whatever means passions are destroyed, the same is right conduct. Such alone should be believed to be the true path of liberation"
The greatest contribution of Panditji is this that he unfolded the spiritual knowledge of Tattvas available in Sanskrit and Prakrit languages through the medium of the spoken language of his times and also provided a new insight for interpretation and analysis of spiritual knowledge. He did not view the spiritual knowledge from traditional and scriptural angle only. For him Tattvajnana is a lively process of meditation, which not only contradicts the traditional ritualistic practices but hits hard at the contemporary so-called religious prevalent practices. His thesis has been that no spiritual thinking is original till it has been established on the foundation of logic and self-realisation. According to him religion is not a mere tradition but a self-examined system and practice.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org