Jain Sahitya Samaroha Guchha 1

Author(s): Ramanlal C Shah, Kantilal D Kora, Pannalal R Shah, Gulab Dedhiya
Publisher: Mahavir Jain Vidyalay

Page 409

390
Jain Sabitya Samaroh
prescribe forgivance and pardon, and not punishment, even for the most heinous crimes. The height of punishment with the maximum of tortures is to be found in the Jaina Eschatological descriptions. Simply because the Jaina Scriptures describe these horrid punishments, it would be wrong to interprete that the same are prescribed by the Jaina Scriptures since they represent illustratively nothing else but the inevitable consequences of action or Karma which can possibly be avoided by dharma. The descriptions of the agonizing tortures are made more with the detterent intention to remind the erring soul of the possible consequences of his indiscriminate action and it would be a misinterpretation of religious philosophy if one reads in these descriptions any model for punishment for imitation, since religious philosophy prescribes pardon and not punishment for the worst of offences. Here lies the subtle but solid distinction between penology and Jain-penology; Karma leads one even to hell but its prevention, if at all possible, is through dharma. The Judge who imposes a capital sentence prescribed law knows that enforced penalty has behind it the force of social sanction but never the backing of true religious philosophy. Did not Christ pray even for those who hanged him ?! Lord Rsabhadeva after his enthronement as the first King, formulated four danda-nitis as a part of social obligation to be discharged and not as religious enjoinments.