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What is then the idea of God in Jainism? He is not the maker of the body. He is not the dispenser of happiness and misery. He is not the regulator of the world. To the Jain God' connotes something different altogether. The true idea of God signifies the supreme status of the liberated soul. The Jiva who attains to Perfect Knowledge, Perfect Power and Perfect Bliss is God. All Mukta Souls are Gods. It is within the power of everybody to become God himself. Such a conception of Godhood alone stands the test of reason and satisfies the needs of intellect and emotion. The ordinary conceptions of a deity as the moulding or pervading spirit of the huge world-organisation are exposed to many irrefutable objections. They imply imperfection in the Deity. They attribute ignorance to the Author and put a limit to his otherwise infinite power. They fail to satisfactorily set at rest the 'why' which has been perpetually presenting itself before every thinking mind. Worst of all it is impossible to acquit such a God of the charge of being unjust. If God needs a world either within Himself or beside Himself why should He need it? Is there something which He does not possess? Again if at all He wants it why should it not be a prototype of Himself? He is said to be perfect while the world clearly is not so. Why should there be inequality among His created beings if He is just and impartial. These and many other such questions which appear insoluble on the commonly understood conception of God vanish at once if we recognise the Jain theory. The evolution principle dispenses with the necessity of a maker of the Universe. If man alone makes or mars his own fortuneif he is his own creature-no other being can be accused of injustice, partiality and cruelty. Inequality and the consequent misery in the world cannot be laid at the door of any outside God. Jiva is God or Satan within himself according to his Karma.
Jainism defines God thus - " परिक्षीणसकलकर्मा ईश्वर: " I Complete liberation from the fetters Karma constitutes Mukti which
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| SR No. | 022208 |
| Book Title | Adhyatma Tattvalok |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Motichand Jhaverchand Mehta |
| Publisher | Abhaychandra Bhagwandas Gandhi |
| Publication Year | 1920 |
| Total Pages | 992 |
| Language | Sanskrit, Gujarati |
| Classification | Book_Devnagari & Book_Gujarati |
| File Size | 19 MB |