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marga. For Kriyāvādi, Karmas or rituals are everything in spiritual endeavour, for Jñānavādins or Akriyāvādi, knowledge is everything for spiritual endeavour. Kriyavāda propounded action or ritual and Akriyāvāda promulgated knowledge as ultimate. A third category of Ajñānavādi was of the view that the realm beyond sensible and the mundane world is just unknowable (Ajñeya). Its philosophy took two forms: (i) mysticism (ii) skepticism. Other than these three therewas a fourth tradition called vinayavāda, which is accepted as the prior form of BhaktiMarga. Vinayavādais another name of Bhakti-Marga. Thus over a period of time thetraditions of jñāna-marga, karma-marga, BhaktiMarga and Ajneyavāda were established in different forms.
Mahāvīra tried to explore a synthesis of the above with his non-absolutistic (Anekāntika) approach. First of all he propounded a three-fold principle of right attitude, right knowledge and right conduct, which represented a balanced combination of Jñāna-marga, Karma-marga and Bhakti-marga.
Thus, Bhagwan Mahāvīra and Jaina philosophy made the First attempt to balance and synthesize these one sided traditions of Jñāna, Karma, Bhakti and tapas etc. Whereas the Gita treats Jñāna-yoga, Karma-yoga and Bhakti-yoga as three different paths to liberation, Jaina religion professes an integrated approach where all the three jointly form the path of liberation.
Jaina religion not only opposed the Yajñarelated ritualistic tradition propounded by Vedic sages, but also opposed the tapasic style of torture of body. Probably, before Mahāvīra till the time of Pārsvanātha, Nātha dharma was related only to external aspects. It is because of this, the Brahmin class considered the end of Dharma only in Yajñas and their related rituals. Probably, Pārsvanāthaemphasized internal aspects of spiritual endeavor, in
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Jainism and its History
