Essence of Jainism

Author(s): Sukhlal Sanghavi
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Essence of Jainism
by name, indicates in brief the basis of development of religion in these words: "We look out before we look in, and we look in before we look up." Dr. Anandshanker Dhruva expands the statement in these words: "First comes the external vision, then the internal and then the higher. We have our first vision of god in nature, then in the inner conscience and ultimately in the identity of both. In Jaina terminology, this can be known as states of Bahirätma, Antaratma and Paramātmā."
Howsoever strong man may be, he progresses from the gross to the subtle, i.e., from substance to feeling. At one time in Greece, architecture, sculpture, poetry, drama, philosophy, mathematics etc., took wonderful strides of development. Just at the time in a dazzling mauner, there developed in one individual, a perspective of religion that put to amazement all humanity. He simply revolu. tionised the value of arts and humanities by the yard-stick of his own perspective of religion. This individual was Socrates. His perspective of religion is respected everywhere.
Jehovah issued an order to Moses. The order was not just for the uplift of the Jews; it also foresaw and suggested the destruction of other contemporary races. But in the same race Jesus Christ was born and his perspective of religion took quite a different form. Christ revalued all religious commandments internally and externally and brought them to a sublimated state when they could be applicable to all irrespective of the differences of time and place. Long before all this, in Iran, Zoroaster gave a new philosophy; it is living in the Avesta. Mohammad evolved a perspective of religion that did a lot to unify and to free from superstitions, the Arab tribes that were fighting one with the other and were steeped in countless superstitions.
But I propose, solely to depend upon Indian traditions, to give expression to the principal story of the development and sublimation of perspective of religion. In the suktas addressed to Usas, Varuna, Indra etc., in the Rgveda, we read of the auspicious elements like the vision of beauty, deep respect towards heroism and a devotion towards some divine power, However, the perspe ctive of religion on part of the poets here is mostly based on