Hajarimalmuni Smruti Granth

Author(s): Shobhachad Bharilla
Publisher: Hajarimalmuni Smruti Granth Prakashan Samiti Byavar

Page 970

Jain Eu
पंचम अध्याय : १७
They believed in freedom from fear, balance of tempers, futility of blasphemy and reviling of others, harms of flactery and ill-speaking, help of fellow citizens and purity of speech and conduct. He acquired right knowledge and was sincerely effortive to practically implement it in life. He made supreme efforts to achieve his final attainment.
6. Sumerian Shramanism:
The Sumerians believed in Soul and its life after death. Purer Souls went to the Island of the blest after death. The Island of the blest may be compared to heaven. The darker Souls went to the Nether Worlds, a dark; gloomy and damp place meant merely to trouble the living. The Sumerians believed in the plurality of Souls. They had firm belief in the immortality of the Souls. Immortality was the permanent and ever-happy existence of
the Soul.
The Sumerians are described as pessimistic people unlike the optimistic Egyptians. I do not think the Sumerians to be a pessimistic people. In spite of the lamentation rituals and penitential hymns, they believed in the immortality of Soul through self-suffering. The righteous man bore sufferings with joy. Whatever suffering may come and however unjust it may seem; the righteous man confesses his sins and awaits his liberation from suffering. When liberation is achieved, the suffering is turned into joy. The suffering of the Sumerian originated from his convictions in self-control, conscious effacement, fellow-feeling and in the living belief in immortality. The Sumerians did not enjoy life because they did not want to usurp to themselves alone the material benefits; thus depriving their fellow beings of them. They believed that self-suffering would make their Souls purer accompanied with the firm assurance that the fruits of their suffering would ripen in a better future life. They extended the quality of their suffering to this extent that they accepted voluntary death in the assurance of a life to come.12 The famous excavator of Ur. Sir Leonard Woolley had dug many graves, which he calls Royal Cemetery, wherein many dead bodies are found in straight and happy postures. Some bodies of women are wearing ornaments of gold, lapis lazule, silver and other precious metals. No single grave has any figure of a God. The graves contain many dead bodies indicating voluntary group deaths. So many people could not be forced to accept death on the expiry of a single person; royal or otherwise, to accompany him in the future life. Woolley also concedes that all this paraphernalia indicates that the dead persons had belief in future life.13 Compulsory death at the order of some one else does not bring a happy future life. It is only voluntary suffering that assures a better future life. This phenomenon goes very deep and nearer to the Jain belief in Samlekhanā Samthārā (Voluntary Spiritual Death).
Gilgamesh was the fifth ruler of the first post-diluvian dynasty of Uruk. He was ordained to enjoy kingship but not the permanent immortality which he cherished most. He took to journey through the forest along with his friend Enkidu whom he lost in the middle of the journey. Gilgamesh repented his friend's death very much and set out in the search for ever-lasting life. He reached the shores, with the help of a ferry man, of the land of Dilmun. He went to Utnapishtim who alone possessed the ever-lasting life. Utnapishtim imparted Gilgamesh these immortal words of wisdom, "There is no permanence. All men are to die. Despise worldly Gods. Save your Soul alive. Abhore sins and transgressions". This was the mystery, the secret revealed by Utnapishtim to Gilgamesh.14 The land of Dilmun, to which
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