Jaina Logic

Author(s): T G Kalghatgi
Publisher: Raja Krisen Jain Charitable Trust New Delhi

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Jaina Logic
culture is a harmonious synthesis of the two currents of thought, the Sramana and the Brahmana, the pre-Vedic and the Vedic currents of thought. It has, therefore, been said that the development of Indian philosophy has been a process of synthesis and assimilation of the two streams of thought. It is difficult to say to what extent and at what stage the two currents were fused into each other and into one course of philosophy. However, the two currents were blended together and what we call today as Indian culture is the crystallisation of the synthesis of the two currents of thought.
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Jainism is a Sramapic religion. It is a pre-Aryan religion which prevailed in India long before Mahavira and Parsva, the last two tirthankaras'. Jacobi has made it clear that the Jaina tradition is much earlier than the Buddhist tradition and Mahavira is the last tirthankara to carry the tradition of Jaina teaching". Jainism has been variously referred to in the early Vedic and Buddhist literature. It was called "Arhat dharma". The Arhats believed that the self gets bound by karma and the goal of every self is to be free from the bondage of karma. This is possible by self-effort. The Padma Purana eologises that Arhat religion is good'. In the Padma Purana and Visnupurana the word Arhat dharma is described as referring to Jaina religion. If we survey the religious literature of the time of Mahavira, we find that the word nigghanta was used for Arhat. In the Diggha Nikaya, Mahavira was described as Nigghanta Nataputta'. In the Asokan inscriptions, the word nigghanta has been used. In the Vedic literature also we find that the word Nigghanta has been used'. We find the use of "Jinasasana, Jina vacana and Jina marga" in the Das avaikalika
1. Radhakrishnan (S) Indian Philosophy Vol I (Allen Unwin 1945). 2. Jacobi (4) Sacred Books of the East 287 XXII Introduction.
3. Padma Purana.
4. Diggha nikaya Sa manjasa Phalasūtra 18, 21
5. Taittiriya Aranyaka 10, 63