Jainism Some Essays

Author(s): A S Gopani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 17

10 ]
Jainism
contradictory but it is not illogical. We have no option open to us and we are constrained to call a thing as having "no beginning'' when we are not able to state positively about its actual beginning. This being the state of affairs similarly the Jain metaphysics has accepted that the beginning of the creation in point of time cannot be traced ( parfecatagi ha) and that
the universe is materially the same for all time. This limitless time has been divided into infinite divisions but for practical purposes it is diveded into the cycle of the ascending eon (35afquit) and descending eon (qafqoft). Both these eons are blessed by the advent of twenty-four Tirthankaras, who have preached in one and the same strain that all beings without exception are bound with kārmic particles; that the reasons occasioning this bondage are attachment and hatred; and that the beings work out final release by removing these causes. All the Tirtharkaras have uniformly propounded and expounded this gospel truth. From this view-point, Jainism has neither the beginning nor the end and can claim to be ever-present. there are beings and just as they try to get entanglaed, they can also try equally well to get disentangled. This effort to be free from bondage is Jainism. Now if the beings are eternal, their religion also should necessarily be so. Reasoning founded on this vision establishes the eternality of Jainism. But this vision coming as it does at some point of time and the philosophical explanation of it having been attempted from a particular angle at some later stage after the events have occurred, it has no relevance with history. Therefore, it is out of place here, to discuss about it in details.
Historical proofs
Let us now take up the question regarding what history has to say about Jainism. In the opinion of some, the word "Aristanemi" occurring in the Brāhmanic works, refers to the Jain Tirthankara having that name. But according to the Jain traditions, he was related to Srikssoa. This Jain tradition has no confirmation from the Vedas. But it is certain that the word “Ariştanemi was current in ancient times. It may be the name of the Jain Tirthařkara or it may not be. According to the Mahābhārata, Sahadeva, changing his usual dress told in the assembly of king Virāta by way of giving information about himself that he was Aristanemi (वैश्योऽस्मि नाम्नाऽहAfrocafa (Virātaparva, 10th chap. stanza--5) by name and he was a Vaisya by caste. In the same Mahābhārata, Arştanemi has been referred to as Jinesvara. This leads us to one inevitable conclusion that Ariştanemi did exist. If we take him as a contemporary of Krşna, it can be safely inferred that he flourished at the time of the Mahābhārata in about 1400 to 1500 B.C.
Bhagavan Rsabhadeva was the first Tirtharikara of the Jainas. The Vedas of the Brāhmaṇic tradition also refer to some Rşabha. Reading the