Jainism Some Essays

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

Page 51

Jainism
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the unification of the individual soul (Jiva) with the universal soul. (Śiva) Here, I have used the word 'Śiva' intentionally. Its general meaning is 'good' or 'welfare' and special meaning is "that god who gives good'. Both the meanings are taken there in the sense of ultimate goal or gospel of all religions. Yoga and Bhakti are the two currents of religion. The word 'yoga' also has two meanings. The process of unification with the universal soul is also called Yoga as the process in connection with one's own soul. No qualitative difference in the process arises even if the universal soul is considered to be ones own pure soul or a different entity. Total annihilation of the unethical propensities such as love and hatred is the essence of both the processes. Then, it becomes a matter of secondary importance whether one attains the highest status of a super-soul or one regains the pristine purity of his own soul. What is most important is to rid one's own soul of the impurities sullying it. This is nothing else but the regaining of the most exalted and original status of one's own soul. Concerning Bhakti also, one should note that an aspirant can do it taking the over-soul as different from his own soul or taking his own soul as the over-soul. But this will be the difference in the final goal that one will come back to the original pure state of his soul as a result of the first type of his Bhakti or will attain the most exalted position of the over-soul as a fruit of the second type of his Bhakti. But in both the types of Bhakti, the purity of one's own soul is indispensable. Thus, the purity of one's own soul is the re-attainment of one's own soul and that is unavoidable. This is a thing of prime importance in the technical procedure and programme of Bhakti which goes unavailed of without it. On regaining the pristine purity of his own soul one enjoys the happiness of fulfilment while the other who reaches the most exalted position of the over-soul enjoys the highest blissthe bliss of nearest proximity with the over-soul. But it is bliss in one or the other, the only difference being that one gets it, in one type, through merging in one's own soul and in the other through union with the oversoul. If this ever-abiding religious truth is well understood, there will be not the least difficulty in grasping the coherence of a variety of procedures regarding religions rites and rituals, injunctions and prohibitions.
Historical and Aspirational
Thus in all religious systems, there are statements claiming antiquity and eternality for themselves but the scholars of history are not thereby satisfied. It is natural for them to doubt who are interested in knowing with the spirit of neutrality the history of the birth and transformation of religious beliefs but not in religious realizations. The beliefs of a religious person push him forward while the curiosity of a historian gets him to know new vist as and views but after many pitfalls. It is not at all necessary