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मत अभिमत
My Comments on Arhat Vacana 23 (4) Oct-Dec-2011 issue are followings
(1) The article in Hindi, "Shrutavatar ka yathrth" by Bhagchandra Jain is most relevant. At page 76 in para 1 it has been mentioned that there has been lot of additions and omissions in the available original scriptures, distorting their very essence and substance. This needs serious churning by scholars to restore the pristine originality of authentic canonical scriptures. Ostensibly we are not sure whether the postulates we are following are correct within the ambit of basic fundamental fabric of Jainism as preached by enlightened ones, Arhats and Tirthankaras. It is a fact that many postulates, practices and rituals being endorsed by present Acharyas are more Vedic than Jain, having been incorporated by Acharyas coming from Vedic and Vaishnavite backgrounds. I have recorded abstracts of preachings of eminent present Acharyas endorsing and preaching the Vedic concept of one almighty God, the doer and granter of boons which is against the very fundamentals of Jainism. There is now more emphasis on rituals than on moral conduct. Even pernicious highly violent Vedic practice of havans is now an essential part of almost every important event, Vidhans etc. It needs immediate action as suggested in this article.
(2) The article, "Jain Dualism-2: Fields and Interactions" by Narayan Lal Kachhara is full of contradictions within its own contents and is not at all compatible with fundamentals of Jainism. Of course everyone is free to have his own belief system and expression as such but while interpreting religious concept one should be honest to interpret as it is and should not distort it by superimposing his personal belief system. A few of stark contradictions and distortions are:
(i) There is no mention of Dualism in Jainism in any authentic scripture and it is rather an anathema. Ascribing any sort of Dualism in Jainism is outlandish. Of course there is pluralism in one of the fundamental principles "Syadvad (Anekant)" in order to understand things in totality in all their probabilistic modes and manifestations because reals are very diverse and each real is equally diverse in its myriad relations. There is in fact singularism in Jainism in as much as it prescribes unified singular path of right belief, right thought and right conduct all the three combined and simultaneous as specifically asserted in stanza first of Tatvarth Sutra where Acharya Umaswami has deliberately used singular "Marg:" in place of grammatically correct plural "Marga:" to emphasise singularity and not plurality of path for salvation, the ultimate.
(ii) Author has himself mentioned at page 52 that Tejas and Mano varganas are different and two distinct varganas whereas at page 57 he has clubbed Mano vargana as part of Tejas vargana. Here there is mention of Prana body also as part of Tejas body. In Jainism there is no such thing as Prana body and there is clear cut mention of ten Pranas which are five sense organs, three mind, speech and physical body energies, breathing and life span and all these belong to different varganas. In his own referred book, "Jain Doctrine of Karma" he has given pictorial depiction of various bodies enveloping the soul and no such Prana body is shown there.
अर्हत वचन, 24 (1), 2012
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