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Paramatma Prakash Commentary
aspirer and the aspired. Fourthly, the mystic shows often a temperamental sickness about the world in general and its temptations in particular. Fifthly, mysticism takes for granted an epistemological apparatus which can immediately and directly apprehend the reality without the help of mind and senses which are the means of temporal knowledge. Sixthly, religious mysticism always prescribes a set of rules, a canon of morality, a code of virtues which an aspirant must practise. And lastly mysticism involves an amount of regard to the immediate teacher who alone can initiate the pupil in the mystical mysteries which cannot be gasped merely through indirect sources like scriptures, etc.
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Mysticism in Jainism: An academic question whether mysticism is possible or not in a heterodox system like Jainism is out of court for the simple reason that some of the earliest author-saints like Kundakunda and Pujyapada have described transcendental experiences and mystical visions. It would be more reasonable to collect data from earlier Jaina works and see what elements of Jainism have contributed to mysticism, and in what way it is akin to or differs from such a patent mysticism as that of monistic Vedanta. To take a practical view the Jaina Tirthankaras like Rishabhadeva, Neminath, Parshvanath, Mahavira, etc., have been some of the greatest mystics of the world; and rightly indeed Professor Ranade designates Rishabhadeva, the first Tirthankara of the Jainas, as 'yet a mystic of different kind, whose utter carelessness of his body is the supreme mark of his God-realization' and gives details of his mystical life. It would be interesting to note that the details about Rishabhadeva given in Bhagavata practically and fundamentally agree with those recorded by Jaina tradition.
Various Elements of Mysticism in Jainism: Monism and theism, rather than theistic monism, have been detected as the fundamental pillars of mysticism. In the transcendental experience the spirit realizes its unity or identity with