Aspects of Brahmanical Influence On Jaina Mythology

Author(s): Shaktidhar Jha
Publisher: Bharat Bharti Bhandar

Page 78

60
Aspects of Brahmanıcal Influence on the Jaina Mythology
inferior to the Jinas. The third group includes thc Vidyadharas of superhuman character To this class perlain thc Pratidāsudevas, with the exclusion of Jarasandha, thc ninth Pratznārāyana All these son --oresented hcrc as invetcratc cncmics of the Vasudevas The Vidyadharas are in essence thc Jaina counterparts of the semi-gods, demons and Räksasas of the Hindu mythology.
The Tirtha as ways and means of salvation consists of all such matters which originally did not come within the purview of the Pancalakşana definition Among thcsc mcans are reckoned all such practices as are of religious, cultural and spiritual significance. It is under this head that Tapas (penance), Dana (gifts), Ahimsā (Non-violence), various vows and sacra. ments and devotion to the deificd Jinas have been prescribed as the effective means of man's final relcasc from the everrecurring cycles of birth and death However, the acceptance of Tirtha 6 as one of the characteristics of a Purana may logically be taken as a concurrent step of the Jina Purana-lāras to give formal sanction to the infiltration of the above matters into the body of the Puranas For, already in the epics and the Brahmanical Puranas Mokşa has been given the highest place of honour in the scheme of human life It is conceived as the supreme Puruşārtha, the Summum bonum of our existence Wc have been exhorted over and over again to act in accordance with the dictate of Dharma for achieving this real goal of human existence It is with this molive that the epic writers and the Purāņıc authors of the Brahmanıcal school enjoin,
65 The topic in question gave the Jaida Acāryas ample scope for prcach
ing the imperativeness of Ahimsā, Tapas and Dāna as means of salvation of these three, the nature of lapas and the qualities of the Jaina tapasdins as described by the Jaina Purānas are in striking agreement with those of the yogins as well as of the persons of divine virtues as counciated in the Bhagavad gita The similarity between the Jaina Puranas and the Brahmanical works, on this score, has been shown in chapter VIII of the present monograph Reference may, however, be made for the present, to the VIP, 34 169, 36 166-158 and the BG VI 3-32, XVI 1-3, XVII 25, XVIII 5