Jain Journal 1974 07

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 47

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JAIN JOURNAL
Lord) of the Universe, i.e., Purușa or Atman or something like it, to rival the spiritual Puruşa idea prevalent in Puri. This is in all probability the wood or the wooden image worshipped by the Austrics in the distant islands or the Nim-wood image of the Savara land which in much later times was floated in the Mahanadi from a Savara village of the present Bilaspur district situated in the confluence of the Jonk (a tributary of the Mahanadi) and the Mahanadi and carried to Puri where it was established as the present Jagannatha with a great temple built for the purpose by Coraganga Deva the famous Ganga king of Orissa.
This Puri pre-eminently the seat of Puruşa which in later times is responsible for Kalinga Jinasana or the seat of Kalinga Jina. This place is the place in this world (of India) of Puruşottama, the highest Puruşa. In the Gitā, Krsna, as the monotheistic God of the Universe, says, "Therefore I am celebrated in this world as Purusottama.” Loke or loye, it must be observed, is a Jaina word, meaning in this world'. So this loke in the Gītā points to the place of Purusottama, i.e., Puri, for there was then no other place of Purusottama in India. Gitā was composed not later than 4th Century B.C.
This puruṣa originally developed out of 'jīva' or 'ji' in control of ‘ajīva' among the Jainas and was taken up in later times by the Vedic Samkhya philosophy which is based on Purușa and Praksti, just come out of 'jīva' and 'ajiva'. The Samkhya philosophy, may be said, is the most primitive and original systematic philosophy of the Vedic literature.
Compiled by Sri Radhanath Rath, Editor, The Samaj.