Jain Journal 1995 10

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

Page 25

JAIN JOURNAL : Vol-XXX, No. 2. October 1995
them. If you take your stand on the diversity of sex instincts of souls, we will have to presume that in pralaya all beings are onesensed. If we proceed on this presumption, the absence of other form of life i. e. two-sensed or three-sensed etc. in pralaya becomes inexplicable. In short the conception of the total extinction of the universe is altogether untenable.
23. BHAKTI DISCUSSED Q.-Is it possible to get Moksa by Bhakti alone, without achievement
of knowledge? A. - Bhakti or devotion leads to knowledge, and knowledge leads to
Moksa. Illiteracy is no hindrance to devotion and knowledge, for knowledge is the very essence of soul. The significance of devotion lies in the fact that it purifies knowledge and the pure knowledge leads to Mokşa. According to my belief, there is no attainment of Mokşa. without the acquistion of perfact knowledge. It needs no stress to pay that perfect knowledge includes the knowledge of languages as well. Undoudtedly literacy is helpful in Moksa, But it is not compulsory to be literate to acquire knowledge of self.
24. AVATĀRA-VĀDA Q.-How far is it true to say that Krsna and Rāma are the avataras or
incarnations of God? If so, what does the idea of avatāra imply? Were they gods themselves or a part of God? Will moksa be
attainable by worshipping them? A.-1. I belive that Rama and Krsna were great personages. Since
they were souls, they were certainly God also, and if they have annihilated their bondages of karma, there can be no dispute in their having attained Moksa as well. But I cannot accept the theory of a living being as a part of God, because there are thousands of things which militate against this idea. In the first instance thereby the well-recognised differentition between our mundane state of bondage and our cherished goal of emancipation will be put to nought. Secondly, thereby all the nescient tendencies of life e. g. anger, greed, deceit and conceit etc. which are subduing the worldly beings will be equally attributable to God and if they are so attributed God will no longer remain Godthe highest ideal of life. He will lose His Godhood and will become as one of the ordinary beings. Thirdly, under this theory all worldly beings will become as perfect as God, and they will stand no need of exerting themselves for procurement of any ends of life. Moreover, they will no longer be liable for any fruits of their actions. When in face of such flaws and fallacies the above idea