Ahimsa and Jainism

Author(s): Vijayvallabhsuri
Publisher: Vallabhsuri Smarak Nidhi

Page 95

[ 88 ]
that the Yoga of Brahmans, Jainas, and Buddhas are closely related to each other, and there can be no doubt that they have all developed from the same source, but I am now concerned only with those philososhical ideas which have a connection with ascetic practice and form the justification thereof.
13. Now the Sankhya view as to the problem of Being is clearly a kind of compromise between the theory of the Upanishads and what we may call the common-sense view. The Sankhyas adopt the former with regard to the souls or purushas which are permanent and without change. They adopt the latter when assigning to matter or Prakrti its character of unceasing change. The Sankhyas contend that all things besides the souls or purushas are products of the one Prakrti or primaeval matter and similarly the Jainas teach that practically all things besides the souls or jivas are made up of matter or pudgala, which is of only one kind and is able to develop into everything. It will thus be seen that the Sankhyas and Jainas are at one with regard to the nature of matter; in their opinion matter is something which may become anything. This opinion, it may be remarked, seems to be the most primitive one; not only was it entertained by the