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No. IVI
ITS MEANING & MESSAGE,
143
The Tirthařkaras did not stagnate into Nirvāņa. They built a giant causeway across the dreary ford of death to the eternal fields of Life. Syādvāda and Anekānta are suggestive of all-sided comprehensiveness rather than of any one-sided obsession of monomaniacs. Those who have understood Jainism correctly have characterised it as the most logically consistent of all philosophies. If this should be construed as constituting its main weakness--for Life is too complex to be logically consistent-, then the critics of Jainism should remember that it is not merely a philosophy' but also a way of life'; that it is not merely a body of thought or a bundle of doctrines, but it also enjoins a course of action and inculcates a code of discipline. Jainism is no more to be condemned as a negation of Life, than Christianity. If the latter is to be judged in terms of its influence over the lives of the Europeans during several centuries, the same should be the norm by which to assess the former. If christianity has made invaluable contribution to European civilization, so has Jainism enriched Indian civilization. If in the course of generation the Christians have resiled from the teachings of Christ, that cannot be a refutation of the positive gains to humanity from Christ's teachings. Likewise, if in the course of ages the Jainas have failed to live up to their ancient ideals, their historic contributions are not to be forgotten. Gratitude in both cases would demand sympathetic understanding from all; such understanding would not only lead to better appreciation, but also provide the corrective that modern living needs both here and elsewhere.
| SR No. | 010062 |
| Book Title | Jain Siddhant Bhaskar |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Hiralal Jain, Others |
| Publisher | ZZZ Unknown |
| Publication Year | 1940 |
| Total Pages | 143 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Classification | Book_Devnagari |
| File Size | 7 MB |