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Śila and its Allied Problems
19
Three ways : Action, Knowledge and Devotion
The question of the means of attaining this ultimate aim of liberation immediately follows. Different systems of thought have stressed different aspects of the means. These means are mainly two, i. e. karma mārga and jãāua mārga. By karmas, in the beginning, was meant only the Vedic sacrifices in yajñas; sacrifice was supposed to be the highest aim. In the period of Rgveda and Brāhmaṇas, as has been seen, there was no conception of spiritual, transcendental happiness; material happiness was the sole target of Vedic Aryans, which was achievable by yajñas. Mimāmsakas are the representatives of this karma-mārga because the highest aim for early Mimāņsakas is nothing more than material happiness.
On the actual texts of Upanişads, the Vedāntins based their thought. They are the representatives of jõāna-mārga. For them the highest end of liberation is attainable through perfect knowledged and not through yajñas.
There is also a third Path called bhakti-mārga, which declares that love or devotion to God leads to liberation. Devotion to the supreme being is the starting point for the devotional school, but devotion to all those or any one of them who have been accepted as having attained liberation became the usual practice. This is how personal devotion came into practice and it is successful only when the devotee is able to please his god; and pleasing of god or gods thus gained supremacy. All acts of Krishna, even if they are of a very trivial nature, are supernaturally valuable and the devotees try to 1. (i) carga 3T UTEYT TETETT Àg FHI एतच्छेयो येऽभिनन्दन्ति मूढा जरामृत्यु ते पुनरेवापियन्ति ।
-Mundako, 1.2.7. (ii) वैविधे वेदितव्ये इति ह एम यद् ब्रह्मविदो वदन्ति परा चैवापरा च । तत्रापरा ऋग्वेदो यजुर्वेदः....अथ परा यया तदक्षरमधिगम्यते ।
--Mundako. 1.1.4-5.
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