Atmatatva Vichar Or Philosophy Of Soul

Author(s): Vijaylakshmansuri, Ghanshyam Joshi, Kirtivijay Gani
Publisher: Mohanlal D Mehta

Page 19

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PREFACE
If the Creator punishes and rewards living beings for their deeds. He cannot do so being a desireless man himself. Therefore, the Supreme God's conception of a Power without the desire does not stand. For that we have to accept another conception of a living being endowed with supernatural powers, who must possess desire to create the world and to punish the evil and to reward the good. Even then the difficulty arises as to where he lived before the creation of the Universe. Neither inside the Universe nor outside the Universe. In this way the Jains think that the Vedic Theory of creation does not logically prove their view point that the Supreme God has created this world how so ever beautiful, nice and just it may be, though there are opposite aspects constantly found in the same Universe. Therefore, the Jain theory of creation is similar to the Sankhya Philosophy as far as the creation view is concerned which says clearly that this Universe is not created by any body, but is self existing and ever lasting, although there are differences about the theory of Sankhya in their views of Prakriti and Purush which need not be discussed in this preface.
Many Historians have now found out for the last 50 years that the Jain Religion had already spread thousands of years back in other parts of the world, such as Afghanistan, Persian, Turkey, Arabia, Central Asia, Tibet, Indonesia, Italy and Greece, if not other parts of the world, as there is no reliable information available.
In India itself there were Jain Kingdoms from Himalayas to Cape Comorin and even in Ceylon as is found by Western Scholars of History. In fact Lord Mahavir had relations with six large kings and their kingdoms in North India. In fact all 24 Tirtankars were born in Kshatriya Royal families. Even now the cult of Ahimsa is practised in the regions of Himalayas by certain classes of Kshatriyas who are not taking their meals during the night time, will not eat onions and garlicks and will not kill any creature whatsoever.
This goes to prove that Jainism was so deep rooted throughout India that the desire to kill animals for food was predominantly wiped out due to Ahimsa preached by the Jains in this country as