Jain Journal 1980 10

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

Page 31

OCTOBER, 1980
human-being, with the developed faculties of sense organs and mind is most equipped to fight against this enemy and even annihilate the same, securing for himself liberation, the Mokşa. For having so annihilated the enemy, the Lord Arihanta (the Destroyer of enemy) is revered and saluted first 38 among the five, all not by names but for their sheer merits ! Different religions, all seeking self-purification, are the different strategies adopted in the fight against karma. Karma has a determining effect on the events but the karma philosophy is not the philosophy of pre-determinism. There is ample scope, of course, for freewill and for effort (puruşārtha) ; hence the call for fight against karma. Investigations at the psychic and psychological strata and the ideas of fundamental social changes by way of social re-arrangement, howsoever laudable, are certainly not the last word for crime-causation and crime-prevention. More subtle than the psychic and more visible through its efforts, the karma influences individual souls, subjecting to births and deaths, gains and losses, pains and pleasures, etc so much so that the individuals cannot even indentify their real self.
For the sociological theorists, who are deeply engrossed in the dialectics of materialism, distinction between fair and foul means has little meaning for bringing about the fundamental social changes. Social immunity from crime does not necessarily mean in their dictionary an end of individual dishonesty, corruption and fraudulent practices since they emphatically eliminate moral hygiene, ethical standards and religious philosophy from each and every social science! What is most difficult to give up in life is wrong belief (i.e. mithyātva). With the application of ignition key of right-faith (samyak-darśana), the soul awakens from the slumber, becomes disillusioned and attains a spark of enlightenment never before experienced. With the springing of right faith, the individual is able to rise above the passions and craving for material objects and enjoyments, desires to extricate the self from the karmabondage, developes compassion for all the worldly creatures and becomes steadfast in truth, disowning false beliefs. A definite change in the attitude towards life is expressed by withdrawal from vices. He prepares his mind in all resoluteness, for testing his innate spiritual prowess, for fullfledged 'samvara, by uttering the Five Great Vows, (called 'pañcamahāvratas, or in the alternative for fractional samvara, by uttering the mini-vows (aņu-vrata) in all seriousness and solemnity for lifelong observance. By adoption of samvara, an automatic check is imposed upon the influx (äsrava) of karmas. The individual soul has then to put up
38 Famous Namokkara-mantra of the Jainas is salutation to the five deservings :
Arihanta, Siddha, Acarya, Upadhyaya, Sadhus.