________________
The Kaliedoscope of Jaina Wisdom
special postures; Prāṇāyāma, i.e., Breath-exercises; Pratyāhāra, i.e., withdrawal of the senses from external subjects; Dhāraṇā, i.e., concentration of mind (under retention of breath ); Dhyana, i.e., meditation, and Samādhi, i.e., abstract meditation to such an extent as to identify the contemplator with the object meditated upon. In this last stage, the Yogi gets united with God, who, as it were, manifests himself out of the soul of the Yogi, as fire does out of the fire-producing sticks. On the other hand, the attainment of salvation is possible by the mercy of God too. God is assumed to help his true devotee, if he is not able to undergo the Yoga practices, by annihilating his Karmas in an instant. In Mokṣa, the soul remains eternally united with God.
3. Mimāṁsä
The Purva-mīmāṁsā or Karma-mīmāṁsā or simply 'Mīmāmsä' system of Rși Jaimini is divided into two schools, that of Kumārila Bhatta and that of Prabhākara Miśra, both of which differ from each other only in unessential points. The Mimāṁsā system agrees with Sankhya, in denying the existence of a creator of the Universe, in proclaiming a variety of omnipervading souls, which are subject to Karma, and in assuming the Universe to be formed of the same elements as Sankhya does, with the only difference that Mīmāṁsă believes all these elements to have been in their present distribution since, and to remain so for all eternity, without any Pralayas interrupting their manifestations.
-
11
Of Moksa, it speaks as a state of complete extinction of all the qualities and activities of the soul, happiness included. Therefore, Mokṣa is not regarded as worth being taken trouble for. On the contrary, the devotee is advised to collect as much Punya as he can, in order to gain the felicity of Heaven, rather than to strive after salvation by acquiring Tattvajñāna. The way of acquiring Punya consists, of course, in a strict execution of the Vedic prescriptions as to sacrifices etc. Therefore, only vidhi-vākya, i.e., such passages of the Vedas whether Samhitā, or Upaniṣad or Brāhmaṇa
as
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
