Concept of Paryaya in Jain Philosophy

Author(s): S R Bhatt, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 27

The Concept of Paryaya : A Vedic Perspective 15 Expansion weakens the object whereas contraction strengthens it. The process of weakening leads to destruction and the process of strengthening leads to creation. In Vedic terminology we say : Visnu nourishes and Indra destroys. Both of them rival with each other, but none can overcome the other in absolute sense : Ubha jigyathurna para jayethe na para jigye katarascanainoh Indrasca visno yadapasprdhetham tre dha sahasram vi tadairayetham15 The Concenpt of Yajna As the centripetal movement nourishes through soma and centrifugal movement destroys through agni, the soma becomes an oblation in agni. This is the perpetual yajna going on in the nature. There is an inter-mixing (=samgatikarana) of the two movements - centripetal and centrifugal - all over the world. Centripetal movement is checked by the centrifugal movement at its climax where centrifugal movement itself is converted into centripetal movement. In other words, agni consumes soma unto a point where agni itself changes into soma. That is to say, power of destruction can destroy only up to a point after which it transforms itself into constructive process and vice-versa. If it were not so, either there would have been only creation all along or only destruction. The power of creation and destruction are, therefore, friends. The Rgveda says: - Agnirjagara tamayam soma aha tavahamasmi sakhye nyokah16 Change of non-Violence In Jaina terminology we can say that origination leads to destruction and destruction leads to origination. 17 Whatever is weak is consumed by the strong. But this does not mean violence, this is rather mutual cooperation. Without this cooperation nobody can survive. From negative point of view, we can say - jivo jivasya bhojanam. But from positive point of view it is parasparopagraho jivanam. In mutual help, one offers the help, the other receives it, but the receiver has also to offer in return. This offering in return to the nature, animal kingdom, men, gods and sages is called five-fold Mahayajna which makes the sacrifice of the giver non-violent - Vaidiki himsa himsa na bhavati and yajnasistasinah santo mucayante sarvakilbinaih. 18