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-YATEENDRA SURI SMARAK GRANTH fering and torture of the Jiva aspiring after libera- untiring effort at raising it by right knowledge, right tion in the intinite cycle of so-called births and vision and right conduct and character. deaths is there, but all the Jivas, if they so will, if
The consequent rise to the ultimate state of they develop genuine free-will can aspire for sal
salvation comes next, It is the highest blessed vation. This theory has remained at the very root stage that even Tirthankaras would aspire after. The of the Anekantavada that they have evolved, de- Jainas call this state Siddhadasha that is to be all veloped and entiched in their theory of knowledge. and end all of the effort and aspiration of the Jiva.
Radhakrishan is an Advaiti. We do not go into the details of the philosophy beKevaladvaitavadi and a follower of shankara. He cause this would be enough for our purpose, to go is thus an absolutist and he criticises the pluralism to the principle of Anekantavada and further, its of the souls of the Jainas in these words;
application in life, in its varied spheres. "It is not possible for us to support the doc
Anekantavada - Meaning trine of the plurality of souls when we have no means of finding out whether in the ultimate condi
The word is explained by Dasgupta as rela. tion there is any basis for distinction. Salvation is tive pluralism" and by Radhakrishnan as" the docinconsistent with a separate personality that is trine of the manyness of reality" and the doctrine throughout hampered by what is external and con- of non-absolutism" by Sukhalalji. tingent and is bound up with the bodily organism and nature itself. The particularity of self opens the
Pandit Sukhlal is right when he states that - way to error and sin and salvation means the abo
"Not only Jainas, even discriminative nonlition of this particularity."
Jains know, the Jain philosophy and the Jain sect Here, it is not our purpose to go in to the
as nonabsolutist philosophy or as non-absolutist intricacies of the problem; we are to go to the doc
faith. For Jainas this belief in non-absolutism has trine of Anekantavada We have referred above to
a place of pride in their faith and they have claimed the way of life, the Acharadharma both for sadhus that the doctrine is great, liberal and excellent."12 and men of the world. It is the means whereby the It is a method of thought and analysis. It is a Jivas progress to higher and higher rise, uplift, a mental eye that is open from all directions and all more blessed birth or state.
sides. We will understand it, first of all by means of Now, as the Jaina dharma is the a simple example from life. sharamana dharma as opposed to the ritualist Take the example of a woman. say around Brahmana dharma. Along with the Buddhists, once 30. How do diferent persons view her? She is only that the nighest aspiration for the Jiva. is constant a beautiful woman to a passerby, a woman to a and untiring, sublimation and uprise, the path to- Sadhu. But she is wife to her husband, mother to wards liberation is through the constant effort at its her children, sister to her brother and sisters. cwn uplift through self-control, austerity, self-suf- daugher to her parents, a friend to her companions. iering and even self-torture so that gradually an employee to her boss in the office where she Karma-both good and bad-continues to get anni- serves, a good neighebour etc. We ask ourselves. hilated: so that the rising Jiva slowly and steadily If she has so many personalities what is she in regets free from the shackles of the bondage of ality ? we cannot deny any of the persepectives of Karma
the woman in question. Every view of hers in cor
rect from one angle of vision. As Sukhlalji states. Karmabandha
“This partiality is based on truth and that only This leads to constant and gradual The theory of this non-absolutism is not just an imenrichments of knowledge of Reality followed by agination; it is a doctrine proved by truth, it is pni.
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