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JAINISM: A THEISTIC PHILOSOPHY "GOD IN JAINISM"
Jaina logic is based on Anekāntavāda, which mean that every judgment is relative and expresses an aspect of reality and subject to some conditions. Jaina thinkers, particularly, Haribhadra Sūri explained the concept of God on the basis of Anekāntavāda as it is prescribed in the theistic schools and tried to synthesize both views. In Šāstravārtā-samuccaya, first of all, he said īśvara is the other name of Paramātmā.°'While synthesizing both the views through Anekāntavāda, he said as in other systems of Indian philosophy God has been explained as the creator, this creatorship of God is acceptable to the Jainas, according to their philosophy in the manner as: God is creator or propounder of the path of liberation, and secondly every soul is potentially Parmātman or God and it is also creator of his own destiny, and in this way God or Paramātman is also the creator. 9-Thus the creatorship of God is also acceptable by the Jainas, though in some different way on the basis of their theory of Anekāntavāda.63
Further, Haribhadra says “self or ātman possesses infinite knowledge, infinite perception, infinite power and infinite bliss. He is called parameśvara or God. In other schools of thought God is explained as only omniscience and all-powerful, these two qualities are also accepted by Jainas under the four infinites, as explained”. He describes Jaina God as one who is free from all attachments, who has destroyed all temptations, who has attained omniscience, who is worshiped by the gods, and one who has after annihilating all the karmas, attained liberation.
Gunaratna Sūri, in his commentary on Saddarśanasamuccaya, discusses even the issue of Avatāravāda and at the end says that the Jaina God in his state of liberation is going to be like that for an infinite period; Jinendra (The Jaina God) is the real God and to him only one should treat as God.
6 Šāstravärttāsamuccaya, 3.204 62 Ibid. 3.205 63 Ibid, 3.206
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