Book Title: Jainism Some Essays
Author(s): A S Gopani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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Page 147
________________ 140] Jainism The Mimamsakas seem to be taking shelter under the Theory of Nescience (Ajñānavāda), when they take the Vedas to be "revelations". According to them, they are so because the date of their composition and authorship are not known. Contrary to this, the Jainas hold that we may call them "revelations" inasmuch as they are being transmitted from time immemorial and their first author is not known but at least we know that they were given new forms and shapes off and on by human beings like ourselves and they had knowledge also. We know of certain sages who were the seers of certain portion of the mantras embodied in Ṛks. Then what objection is there in taking the Vedas as composed by human beings? As regards the twelve canonical works of the Jainas, they believe that they have no beginning and no end. Still, the extant Angas are taken as the compositions by the Pontiffs (Gaṇadharas) based on the teachings of Mahavira. Sangraha Naya. On one hand, there are Cārvākas who believed in one substance only, namely, Matter, while on the other, there are Vedantins according to whom there is only one substance but it is Energy caitanya and not Matter. This very Vedanta philosophy is what is represented by the Sangraha Naya of the Jainas. Whatever exists in this universe is expressed by the word, 'Sat' in the Vedanta Philosophy. But this 'Sat' is only Energy and nothing else according to it. This Energy, it adds further, is the Purușa, Brahma, or super-soul whatever you want to call it. But in Jainism, it is constituted of both Energy and Matter, because otherwise it is not possible to account for bondage and release, world and salvation. In the Vedanta, Maya, futility of the world, and nescience have been considered antagonistic to Energy (caitanya) but they do not describe Māyā as Sat. They call it, instead, indescribable. This because they take Māyā neither completely different nor identified from and with Brahma. Whatever it may be, this much is certain that they cannot do without Māyā even if Maya may not be described as Sat. This is also what is believed by the Jainas that there is something like Matter through the agency of which the soul is bound up with the karmas. If the Vedantins say that both Māyā and Brahma are Sat, there will be two Sats which the Vedantins do not want as they taken as Asat (non-existing), it will not be for the belief that the world is real. The soul if it becomes united with soul. It can occur that is to say with matter. Therefore, it is there is soul and that there is matter also. are non-dualists. If Māyā is possible to hold it responsible cannot get involved in bondage only if it unites with non-soul necessary to hypothesize that Therefore, the Jainas have Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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