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152 :: Aspects of Jaina Religion
doer of actions, it must bear the consequences of these actions sooner or later. There is no way out of it. The responsibility of consequences cannot be shifted nor exemption from the consequences be given by anybody. The soul has to enjoy the fruits of the karmas in this life or in subsequent lives. There is no salvation until the soul stops the influx of karmas and gets rid of existing karmas and this it will have to do by its own deliberate efforts without expecting any help from an outside agency like God. There is no use in asking the favour of God or his representative because they do not have the power of determining the consequence of the karmas and have no authority to forgive people from future consequences of past actions.
This theory of karmas has been an original and integral part of the Jaina ideology, and Tīrthankara Mahāvīra convinced the people of the necessity of adopting this doctrine and of moulding their entire life on the foundation of this theory. Naturally Tīrthankara Mahāvīra laid full stress on individual action and completely denied the existence of divine dispensation. He emphasised that man is the architect of his destiny and that there is no external power which can come in the way of getting the fruits of one's actions, whether good or bad. He assured the people that the attainment of liberation, the ultimate objective in life, is within their reach and it depends entirely on one's own efforts in the march on the path to liberation. In this way Tirthankara Mahāvīra wanted every individual to become a true hero on the battlefield of self-conquest. Thus Tirthankara Mahāvīra inculcated a spirit of reliance among the people in place of the feelings of utter dependence on God. This basic change in attitude brought an over-all change in the course of life of the people who began to lay stress more on the ethical aspects than on the ritualistic aspects of their conduct.
6. Emphasis on Non-violence
The most distinctive contribution of Tirthankara Mahāvīra and Jaina āchāryas consists in their great emphasis on the
