Book Title: Jainism a Theistic Philosophy
Author(s): Krishna A Gosavi
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Previous | Next

Page 300
________________ 284 JAINISM: A THEISTIC PHILOSOPHY “GOD IN JAINISM” Mīmāṁsā doctrine. Mīmāṁsakas felt no necessity for admitting the existence of God. Some Mīmāṁsakas believe like the Vaišeșikas in the atomic theory. But the difference is that according to the Mīmāṁsā atom do not require, for their arrangement in the world, an efficient cause like God. The autonomous law of karma independently regulates the atoms. There is neither creation nor total destruction. The world is eternally there. The Mīmāṁsā view is unique in Indian philosophy. The early Mīmāṁsakas are silent about God and later ones reject the proofs of God. According to the Mīmāṁsakas, perception inference and scriptures do not prove God. God cannot act as the supervisor of dharma and dharma since He cannot have any knowledge of them. The universe having neither any beginning nor end and does not require any creator. Of course, Brāhmanic scholars and thinkers puzzled from the stand taken by Mimāṁsakas on the problem of God; and even modern day scholars labeled Mīmāṁsakas as atheist. They held the understanding that spirituality and divinity is the God, and God does not need to create the world. Jainism and Buddhism believe in God who needs not to create anything. So, the Mīmāṁsakas, belonging to orthodox or theistic group of philosophy, answered to the question of God that they are concerned only with the rituals of Vedas to be performed according to proper rules which contain eternal truth and not with any other motive or speculation concerning God. In the primitive magical basis of the Vedic ritual, there is no room for a supreme being, an omniscient and omnipotent God. It rests on the notion that by creating an illusion of the reality you can control the reality. By performing rituals, mainly in the form of the act of miming, nature can be so influenced as it could serve your purpose. No supernatural intervention is needed. Šābara who wrote major commentary on Jaimini-sūtra of Mīmāṁsā argues for rejection of God is simply that there is no evidence of His existence. Sense perception does not reveal God. Jain Education International For Personal & Private Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358