Concept of Pancasila in Indian Thaought

Author(s): Kamla Jain
Publisher: P V Research Institute Varanasi

Page 67

52 The Concept fo Pancasila in Indian Thought indulges in a number of quarrels and disagreements and thus hurts the feelings of those who have a different view of reality. Reality as depicted in ‘anekāntavāda' has manifold aspects and all the aspects of reality are not revealed to imperfect beings, so most of the judgements regarding reality given by various thinkers and systems of thought are limited and conditional, and, therefore, are only partial explanations of reality. The amendment made by Jainas is that that every judgement should be qualified by a term called 'syāt' meaning thereby relativity. This sympathetic attitude in intellectual field is rightly understood by Prof. A. B. Dhruva as 'intellectual non-violence.'
Another important field of philosophy to which Jainas have applied the principle of non-violence is the field of personal effort in the spiritual life of the person. This expresses itself in the theory of karman. This may at first appear as having no relationship with the doctrine of ahimsā, but a thorough study would reveal that it is only the theory of karman or personal effort (as gods etc.) that can be derived from nonviolence or samatā, and no other theory such as eternalism, accidentalism, naturalism, etc., can be said to have originated from samatā or non-violence.
The theory of karman or personal effort expresses that a man is himself responsible for his own spiritual advance ment, happiness or misery in this life or the next. The gods or the demons do not assist or hinder in building the fate of the individual. It is his own efforts or past deeds that make his life happy or miserable. The curses or boons from demons or gods or similar supernatural powers do not affect the spiritual advancement of the person except his own deeds called the karman, when these karman obstacles are removed by one's own effort lighter the soul becomes higher it reaches in the spiritual field (karmans according to Jainas are material substances covering the soul due to which it is in bondage).
1. 37TAH* aegi -Saddarsanasamuccaya, 55.