Jain Journal 1990 07

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

Page 32

JULY, 1990
This perfect Being is called the “Tirthankara' and the Jainas call him "Isvara' i.e. God. The teachings of the Tirthankara are not of course the Rk, the Yajus, the Sama or Atharva (which are repudiated by the Jainas) but are certainly the best authorities on matters, philosophical. ethical and religious. The Jainas call the teachings of the Tirthankara God, the Jaina Veda and according to them, it is the Jaina Veda which alone embodies the true teachings of the ture God and as such, is the real, infallible Veda. In this way, the Jainas show that they are not opposed to the doctrine of the Veda-receiver Omniscient God. With all this, however, it is obvious that there is essential difference between the Isvara of the Jainas and the Isvara of Vedic school. The God of the Jainas is not the creator of the world, he was originally a mortal human being, who through self-culture and self-development attained Godhood, consisting in teachership. The Tirthankara Gods are also more than one in number. The God of the Vedic school, on the contrary, is the world-creator and from “eternity to eternity” is the one ever-free Lord, revealing the Vedas in the early dawn of the cosmic creation.
The Tirthankara, otherwise called the ‘Arhat is then the Isvara according to the Jainas, who is the author of the Vedas (of course the Jaina scriptures). By admitting in this way the doctrine of the authorship and of the teachership of the Vedas, the Jainas distinguished their view from that of the Mimamsakas, according to which, the Vedas are uncreated and self-existent. Regarding the question of the 'mukti' or final emancipation also, the Jaina and the Mimamsa views are different. According to the Mimamsakas, a good, well-behaved and dutiful man on his death goes to heavens and enjoys the best happiness, ‘mukti' or complete liberation, however, is inattainable. According to the Mimamsaka thinker the samsara or the existential series is not only beginningless but endless also, the Jainas, on the contrary maintain that save and except the 'abhavya' jivas (who can never attain the complete emancipation), all souls are capable of attaining liberation. A soul, when liberated, is possessed of kevala-jñāna, which is nothing other than omniscience.
Besides the disembodied perfect Beings who are completely free and are omniscient, according to the Jainas, as stated above, a highly developed Being, while in body, may attain omniscience also. The Tirthankaras were such Beings who attained omniscience, while they lived, moved and had their being still in this world. This Jaina doctrine of omniscience in a Being who is not yet disembodied, is obviously akin to the theories of the other Indian schools, according to which omniscience is possible before final liberation.