Introduction to Jainism and its Culture

Author(s): Balbhadra Jain
Publisher: Kundkund Gyanpith Indore

Page 95

beginningless and all pervading Brahma. According to the Samkhya philosophy of Kapil, material and living universe has been created by the interaction of Purusa (supreme man) and Prakrti (nature). In the Vedānta Sūtra Bādarāyaṇa says - 'Lokastu līlā kaivalyam.' Parabrahma (God) creates universe as an act of recreation. The Naiyāyikas believe God to be endowed with virtues like knowledge, desire, effort, etc, and that He is the motive creator of the universe. They say that as a potter creates a pitcher with his wisdom, intent, and effort, in the same way God also creates universe with his wisdom, intent, and effort.
Besides these there are numerous other reasons and rationales attributed to the creation of universe by God. For example:
1. To create is intrinsic nature of God. 2. The desire to create comes naturally to God. 3. Every action in this universe appears to be orderly or following some rules. There must be some governing authority for those rules and that could be God. 4. Every act has to have a subject. This universe is also an act, thus it should also have a subject and that is God. 5. Every thing or activity has to have a beginning when they were created or launched. There is nothing that was not created at some moment of time. Therefore, the original creator of everything is God. 6. When a person commits sin he experiences fear, hesitation, or shame. This is the indication of the ubiquitous authority of God.
Many more such theories supporting the concept of creator God are in circulation.
Does God create the universe? Examining the aforesaid theories it will have to be found if God can or does create this universe or does such God even exist? Regarding the theory of Advaita Vedānta and Samkhya it is enough to say that where is any scope for any perversion or deformity in the Parabrahma that is inactive? Moreover, Brahma is omnipresent. An entity that is present everywhere is necessarily inactive. When a bottle is completely filled with water or sand and closed, even if it is shaken there is no movement in the water or sand within it. Therefore, it is inconceivable that the omnipresent God can create universe. Nature and man have always remained in constant interaction, how than the universe got created at a particular moment. In the history of ontology such questions have proved to be very difficult and no satisfactory answers have been provided till date.
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