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THE JAINA DOCTRINE OF SOUL
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man is often found to be prosperous while an honest and virtuous man leads a life of terrible misery. This shows that there is no invariable effect of an effect and hence re-incarnation need not be believed in. To these three objections, the Jainas reply as follows:-In some respect, we admit all the three positions, involved in these objections, but the Adrishta or the Next Life is not contradicted thereby. The Jainas admit that the Jiva is attached to the Karma from the beginningless time; Infinite regression (Anavasatha) is no fallacy here. Secondly, if Attachment and Envy be held to bad to re-incarnation, Emancipation from the Karma has been urged to be impossible; the Jainas point out that Emancipation may or may not be possible but that re-incarnation of the soul is proved. The Jaina theory is that so long as Salvation is not attained, the Jiva remains subjected to Attachment and Envy and continues to run between Karma (temporal act) and its Fruit, consequently. Lastly, the certainty of the Fruit following the Act is not disproved by the prosperity of the wicked and the misery of the honest people. The prosperity of a wicked man is to be attributed to the meritorious acts of his previous life and the misery of a good man, to the impious acts of his past incarnation. But the future misery of the bad man and the future blessedness of the pious man are inevitable. To the argument based on the alleged variation of the Karma from its Fruit does not disprove the Adrishta or the Next Life.
The Jainas point out there are Authoritative Sayings (Agama) in support of the doctrine of Re-incarnation Blessed effects of a good act,' 'Bad effects of a bad act'_these are found in the Jaina Scriptures which (the Jainas contend) are Revelations of absolutely true things.
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Anumana or Inference also proves the reality of the Adrishta. At one and the same moment, a chaste lady gives birth to two sons; but as time goes on, the two sons are found to differ considerably from each other in respect of their strength, knowledge etc. Nothing but Adrishta (pre-existence) can explain this difference.
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
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