Jaina Political Thought

Author(s): G C Pandey
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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spiritual life. Spiritual life itself is a life of detachment, purity, peace and above all non-violence. To be good or to follow dharma is to be spiritual. Rightness does not depend on a pre-existing law. A law is right when it follows from the purity and spirituality of the mind.
Thus while the Brahmanical tradition required man to follow the law as codified in the smrtis, the Jainas required them to follow the ideal of a spiritual person. They do not set up two different standards of conduct, one for private citizens another for kings. It is the duty of the kings to be morally good as it is of every one else. The Jaina view in its contrast from the Brahmanical comes out most clearly in the famous dialogue of king Nami with Indra. Nami becoming enlightened decided to opt for renunciation and moved out of his capital at Mithila. This decision upset the people naturally and the God Indra assuming appropriately enough the form of a Brahma
sought to dissuade the king from his resolve. Indra aruged that the king ought to look after the city andits protectionbefore thinking of renunciation. He ought to construct palaces and buildings, establish peace by punishing thieves and robbers, conquer other independent rulers, perform sacrifices and give alms. What is more one can be a good man, even a householder. The duty of collecting wealth from the kingdom also should not be neglected. From the speech of Indra one can easily see the current opinion of king's functions and duties. Against this the royal sage Nami argues that while Mithila was burning it did not affect him. He was unattached and inwardly alone. For him the city to be protected consisted of faith. Theonly palace which needs to be constructed must be where one has to go ultimately. Theinfliction of punishment is quite often unjust, and the true conquest must be over oneself. Self-control is superior to all alms, no wealth can satisfy desires. It follows, therefore, that instead of seeking wealth and power one should seek faith and knowledge. Instead of engaging in war one should be master of one self. The Jaina tradition mentions a number of other famous ancient rulers, rulers who like Nami renounced the world and their kingdom.
At another place we are told how the famous king Srenika of Magadha went on a pleasure trip and meeting a young mendicant asks him the reason for his renunciation. Themonkmentions that he had no protector, which amused the king who thought himself the protector of all. The medicant, however, proved to the satisfaction of the king that the king himself lacked protection. Suffering is the lot of all men inevitably.
If the Jainas rejected the current ideal of kingship, they rejected at the same time the pretensions of the Brahmanas, who were full of caste pride, engaged in violence and sensuality, and entertained false opinions. They hated the lower castes. For the Jainas on the other hand even a candala
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