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JAINA CONCEPT OF GOD IN JAINA THEISM
197
150
paramesthins are supreme divinities. 48 Arihanta and Siddha are omnipotent, omniscient are supreme divine while Ācārya, Upādhyāya and Sādhu are ascetic sages who are themselves striving to reach the end of journey in Siddha hood or Supreme Divinity. "*' Pañca-paramesthins takes place of God in Jainism. There is no God apart from pure human soul. The ideal of Pañcaparameșthins also corroborate to this God-in-man conception."
When a man lives a life of purity, it makes him Sādhu or Muni by renouncing his worldly belonging and starting penance and meditation. And he achieves a stage of Upādhyāya and become a guide to masses and teaches to other Sādhu. Later stage is Ācārya who is authority on the path of spirituality with further penance and austerity.151
Some of the Ācāryas may become Siddhas, a stage in which an individual gains superior power and practically he is supposed to have destroyed karmapudgala in the form of passions and becomes Siddha and Buddha. 152
The last stage is the supreme state of Kevalin, who is otherwise called Arhat. He with his effort has become omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent too. In this stage soul enjoys its inherent powers, luster and knowledge. Such a soul is free from all fetters of existence and is the very God, incarnate.""
In Jaina philosophy there is no God apart from pure human soul. Thus spiritual life becomes possible even in absence of God. With this line of thinking one may ask, why not adore Gods that are in living form before our own eyes? Lord Mahāvīra and other
148 Dr. P.S. Jaini, “The Jaina Path of Purification”, P-163 (PAK-151) 14%Dr. P. Ajay Kothari, “The Concept of Divinity in Jainism”, 2000,P-151 "Dr. S.V. Atre, “Philosophy of Mahāvīra, A Critical Study” (1982),
University of Poona, P-78 151 Ibid, P-78 152 lbid, P-80
Dr. S.V. Atre, “Philosophy of Mahāvīra, A Critical Study” (1982), University of Poona, P-80
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