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are we to discard altogether the worship of God ?' Idol wore ship has been current in India for centuries together. Shall we now conclude that it 'serves no purpose ? Here will then ·be a powerful weapon forged by ourselves for the use of those 'who declaim against idol worship. But no. The inference as to the uselessness of idol-worship and God-worship is unwarranted. We have shown that the Jains believe in God as well as Gods looked at from different points of view, but we have not even hinted, much less implied, that they ought not to be 'worshipped. Our salvation depends upon our karmas. Why 'the Gods should then be worshipped is that the worship helps 'us in achieving our salvation.
In fact God-worship is admitted to be necessary by all religions. No such unanimity exists as to idol-worship. Here we shall bear in mind one point special to Jainism. All the other religions preach that God does confer favour on His devotees. The path of salvation is made easier by God's Grace. It is with this end in view chiefly that they worship God. What is peculiar to Jainism is that it dispenses with the necessity of such grace; it does not assign such an activity 'to God. He remains a passive looker-on, while the individual is wearing out the web of his Karma. Worship pacifies the soul which is the essential factor in working salvation. It ennobles the mind, teaches high ideals, and brings us spiritually in contact with those higher souls who have attained Perfection. In bringing all these about no activity on the part of God is necessary. A person sitting near hearth has the heat transferred to himself without the fire doing anything specially for him. Similarly a person who devoutly worships God acquires to a certain extent His qualities; whether they have a lasting effect or no is a question which is without importance at present. The point is, for the time being at least, the worshipper feels he is standing before a Higher Presence, and that he has elevated himself to a higher plane. The
| 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 |