Essence of Jainism

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

Page 75

Heart of Jaina Culture
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teaching abstention. We should ponder a little over the nature of ancient and contemporary religions in order clearly to understand what Nivartaka dharma means.
Classification of Religions
If we were to classify the internal form of all the living religions of the world and religions whose history is available more or less, they can be divided into three types:
(1) The first is that which ponders over only the present birth. The second is that which brings into consideration birth and rebirth both,
(2)
(3) The third is that which considers birth, rebirth as also begin. ning and end or uprooting these.
Anātmavāda
In remote ancient times as to-day, there were thinkers who were not inspired by any conception of happiness beyond that in the present life. They were not inspired by any such idea and did not think it proper to pass their time in the pursuit of its means. Their only aim was enjoyment of the happiness only of the present life. They collected all the means to fulfil this aim. They held that whatever man is he is so only till the present birth persists. To them the meaning of rebirth was, at the most, propagation and continuance of the family-line through children. Man is not going to be reborn to enjoy the fruits of all the good actions that he performs in life. The fruits of our actions may be reaped by our children or the society. If this is to be designated
rebirth', there is no objection. The class of persons who thought on these lines are known in our ancient Scriptures as Anātmavādī or atheists. Later on, this class was designated Carvakavādi, From the viewpoint of this group, all aims worth making an effort for, are simply worldly enjoyments. The Carvakans did not conceive of any dharma as a means to this; they did not conceive of any rules or prescriptions for the purpose. They can therefore be known as exerting only for passion-Kāma, or, at the most believing in two efforts - Kama and Artha.