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some external God as the Creator and Protector of the universe. The Jaidas are the foremost among those holding this view. They believe in Godhood i. e, the state of a Liberated Soul, which is according to them. the ideal state. They believe, it is within the power of everybody to become God himself. Every Jiva (soul) has in him the potentiality of becoming Ishvara. When an embodied soul is freed from all impurities or all Karmic coverings and discards the body in which it last dwelt, that soul is said to be Liberated or to have attained Godhood. lahvaratva (Godhood ) is the game thing as Muktatva (Liberation ). All Mukta Souls are Goils, and the attributes of all these Gods are identical, hence, from this point of view a Jaiga may be called a Monotheist or a worshipper of one God. Ao the differont waters of different rivers when mixed mutually, are called as one water, similarly, the Liberated Souls, according to Jainism. being 80 mixed mutually, are called as one God. God is thus one, but as regards the Atmans in which that Perfect status has been manifested, He is infinite. In reality, Jainism does not worship any particular individuality, but that Perfect, Pure and Good status in which the Liberated exist as the All-knowing. All-scient, All-powerfull. All-happy. fa Jainiam prominence is given not to the individuality, but to the status in which Ātman becomes Paramātmon, and that status, whatever be the number of Liberaled Souls individually, is identically one and the same,
The belief in the existence of God as the creator of the universe, is most reasonably controverted by Jaina theologicians. I also share the beliet of the Jainag, not because I am & Jaina, but because it is not possible to demonstrate the existence of a Creative Deity by any amount of logical reasoning. Notwithstanding, the reader will find the devotional verses contained in this little work to be assuming the colour of prayers as if they were addressed to the Creator God who is capable of fulfilling the desires of the worshippers. Such a form of praying is so natural that a prayer whether he may be a Jaisa or non-Jaina, cannot but put such a colour in his prayers. Even in the prayers composed by great Jaináchäfysi wbo have very vehemently refuted the theory of Creativeneta of God, we find abundant passages which are consistent with the assumption of God as the creator. Numerous Stotras and Stutis are instances to the point,
Ahol Shrutgyanam