Jaina Political Thought

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

Page 90

karman and its consequences and inner tendencies is divine." Such persons are called Arhant Sambhu or Buddha. This is an excellent example of the spirit of religious synthesis. We may recall that the celebrated Udayana who sought to defend the Vedic conception of God similarly agreed that the Arhant and Buddha refer to the same reality which is called by other names among the Brahmanical sects. He also stated that the Brahmanical socio-ritual order was in practice not abandoned by the nonVedic sects. This is more or less confirmed by Jinasena II and Somadeva who seem to accept the current order of castes and much of the ritual scheme. They undoubtedly have some theoretical or interpretative differences as well as differences on what constitutes ritual and they do oppose animal sacrifices and many Brahmanical dogmas; nevertheless, their spirit is one of distinct accomodation towards the popular and traditional social order.
Another important point made by Somadeva is that he would like the ruler to meditate on the nature of the realm and his duty to protect it. The formula he proposes reveals his conception of royal duty in all its nobility. "The earth is like a cow with the four seas as its udders, dharma as its calf, energy as its tail, the order of varnasrama as its hooves, kama and artha as its ears, policy and power as its horns, truth and purity as its eyes, justice as its mouth. I have to protect it and fight those who are guilty towards it." The identity of the earth and the cow was an ancient idea which can be seen in the Vedas as well as in the Avesta. The immediate source of the metaphor is apparently the Raghuvamsa of Kalidasa. Nevertheless, the detailed parallel and the need for taking it as a theme of religious meditation are new. Here we have in effect a definition of the state in terms of its imperial or rather national boundaries, system of social ethics, political values of virtue, justice, security and welfare, and the means of political action viz., policy and power. The king is conceived as the dutiful servant of the realm in the image of Dilipa, not as the enjoyer of the realm, which was the other common conception in those days. Indeed these two attitudes are perennial in politics. A few wish to serve, while most wish to enjoy.
Dealing with right conduct, Somadeva makes it clear that Brahmanahood really consists in following rules of morality, acquiring learning, truth, pity, and fortitude, not in the accident of birth. This was an ancient view, occasionally expressed in Buddhist and Jaina writings. We are further told that the true sacrifice for a king consists in protecting the people, not sacrificing animals.
On the dispensation of justice we are told that the king has to be neutral
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