Jain Journal 2004 01

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

Page 42

S.R. BANERJEE: UNDERSTANDING JAIN RELIGION
167
Heaven and Hell, existence of Pāpa and Punya, existence of the other world, and finally Mokşa. These eleven Gañadharas had asked Mahāvīra any one of these questions for clarification and understanding. In course of time, these eleven basic questions formed the eleven salient doctrines (tattvas) of Jainism. Indrabhūti had the doubt regarding the existence of soul; while Agnibhūti had the doubt regarding Karma whose existence could not be visible. Vāyubhūti was poignant in asking Mahāvīra about Jiva. His doubt was whether the body itself was the Jiva (soul) or whether it was different from the Jīva. Vyakta's question was based on the five elements (pañca mahabhūtas) of the world. He asked whether the basic five elements (pañca mahabhūtas) were real or unreal. Sudharmā asked Mahāvīra whether the Jiva would be the same kind or different in the next birth. Mandita had the doubt regarding bondage and deliverance. The doubt of Mauryaputra was whether the deities and heaven exist at all or not. Akampita had the doubt regarding the existence of Hell. Acalabhrātā's doubt was regarding the existence of punya and pāpa. Metārya's doubt was regarding the existence of the other world; whereas Prabhāsa's doubt was whether there could be anything like Mokșa.
These questions of the eleven Ganadharas are of a crucial nature, and ultimately formed the basic profound philosophical doctrines of Jainism. In course of time, the followers of Mahāvīra developed these ideas in different ways by their incisive intellectual analysis. At a much later time, people posed such questions like - what is sat? What is the ultimate goal of a thing? - so on and so forth. It was in the 3rd century A.D., a philosopher called Umāsvāti, in his book Tattvārthasūtra or Tattvārthadhigamasutra, first defined 'sat', based on the canonical literature of the Svetāmbaras. That which is reality is 'sat' - that which exists. It has ‘utpāda' (origin), vyaya (deviation from the original) and dhrauvya (permanent). So in Jainism we consider 'sat' - reality as having three points. That is, it has an origin and a deviation, but at the same time it is fixed.
The question that comes to our mind from the above is how can a fixed thing be changed? If it is fixed, it cannot be changed, and if it changes, it cannot be fixed. Let me give you an example. Let us take the case of a seed of a plant. When you plant the seed, it sprouts out after a