Jainism a Theistic Philosophy

Author(s): Krishna A Gosavi
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 37

INTRODUCTION
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According to Astādhyāyī, āstika and nāstika words comes from asti and nāsti which means, it is and it is not, respectively. A person believes in soul, life after death, virtuous actions and sin is an āstika, and the one who thinks that there is nothing like soul, life after death, virtues and sin, is a nāstika. But, Vedic Brāhmaṇas have changed the meaning of these words. For them the system of thoughts which approves the supremacy of Brāhmaṇas and Vedas as āstika and those systems disapprove Vedas and supremacy of Brāhmaṇas as nāstika. Thus the meaning of words āstika or nāstika does not depend on their etymological meaning of positive or negative conclusions regarding the soul, life after death, virtues or vices, but on the acceptance of the authority of Vedas and supremacy of Brāhmaṇas.
Manu says that nāstika is one who despises Vedas. ‘nāstikovedanindakaḥ'. The reason was that Vedic rituals and sacrifices of animals and killing in it, in the name of dharma was always opposed and protested by Jainas as well as Bauddhas and it was deliberate adharma in the name of God. And for this opposition, Manu for instance called them (Jainas and Bauddhas) Vedanindakaḥ or nāstikas. But Pāṇini's interpretation of these terms proves Jainas as Āstika.
I. (v) Classification of Indian Philosophy: Traditional View
Brāhmanic System Vs. Šramanic System
To understand Indian culture completely one has to study Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism collectively as well as individually, because culture of all the three is intermingled and mutually influenced. Although Brāhmanic and sramanic are two distinct trends dominating Indian culture from its earliest days, it is very difficult to distinguish them because neither of the two remained uninfluenced by the other. The earlier Sramanic trends and its later phases, Jainism and Buddhism, were influenced by Vedic traditions and vice a versa. The concept of Nirvāṇa,
67 See. Table of Classification of Indian Schools of Philosophy (at the last of the chapter)