Jaina Political Thought

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

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innate freedom of man as a spirit is not circumstantially constrained and its acts operate with psychically and cosmically fixed responses. In so far as man's self-awareness is not fully spiritual, he acts within a matrix of freedom and constraint and findshimself the subiect of experiential vicissitudes which leave him puzzled and suffering. In this situation it is natural for him to seek freedom but his search can succeed only to the extent to which he is enlightened by a spiritual tradition.
The Jaina conception of freedom, thus, is that of the autonomy of the spiritual will which is characterized by selflessness, tranquillity, steadfastness and energy in the face of temptations posed by egoistic impulses and external objects. In other words, freedom can only be gained by a moral discipline which holds spiritual reality to be the sole ideal or standard. Any other conception of freedom or of moral discipline can only be a perversion of truth and an abuse of words.
In the Brahmanical tradition dharma comprised' not only universal moral obligations and virtues but also a differentiated system of specific rights and duties, at least part of which was meant for recognition and sanction by the state as a legal system. In point of fact, a varied system of traditional rights,civil and political, existed in ancient Indian society, which was largely of popular origin, though part of it was formulated in Brahmanical law codes. The Jainas like the Buddhists did not seek to replace this traditional system of law and institutions by any comprehensive alternative. It may,therefore, be admitted that the early Jaina canon does not evince any systematic interest in the reformulation of legal and political institutions. Nevertheless, it does reflect over ideas and values which involve the state and connect it with a general philosophy of life. While its main interest may be correctly described as religious, its conception of religion was comprehensive enough to include the whole of life. This was particularly the result of its moral outlook which requires a radical rethinking and revision of all modes of practical life including the political.
The Jaina faith recognizes one absolute and unconditional right, that of life. It is not a right created by law, nor, indeed, does law recognize it to be unconditional. Respect for life is a universal obligation inscribed in the heart of every moral person. To a certain extent this is admitted by all ethical, social and political systems but many of them subject it to significant restrictions. Indeed, all political systems presuppose the justification of killing as punishment and of killing as part of a soldier's duty. Practically all legal systems recognize the right to kill in self defence. What is more the right to life is generally conceived only in the context of human life.
In Jainism the respect that is due to a living creature includes respect for
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