Concept of Divinity in Jainism

Author(s): P Ajay Kothari
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 55

manifestations of one great principle as he has conceived them. Various mythologies have been composed from time to time to explain and emphasise different aspects the Supreme Divine Being and underlying all these stories is the idea of one divine dispenser of justice, the destroyer of evil and benefactor of the good, the one creator, sustainer and destroyer of the universe.
A devotee striving for the realisation of the God must pass through the path of Bhakti, Jnana, Karma and Raja yoga. Jnana yoga is the path of intellectual discrimination, suitable for those whose intellects are highly developed, who are thinking constantly to discriminate between the real and unreal, the un-eternal and the eternal, until they reach spiritual realisation. Bhakti yoga, or the path of devotion to a personal form of God, is based on the emotional urge and involves power of love to the spiritual quest. In this path, there is a deep emotional relationship between the human and the Supreme Divine. Karma yoga, or the way of works, is best suited for people who are particularly drawn by social service, alleviation of human suffering and organisational activity, and whose constant compulsion for work is directed towards the supreme Divine. Finally, Raja yoga involves various spiritual practices including physical and psychic practices.
Thus, when an individual reaches his goal, eternal happiness, he is blessed with the vision of the Greatest of the great gods, of Him, who is the essence of and present in all gods, the Supreme Divinity.
THE CONCEPT OF DIVINITY IN JAINISM