Jainthology

Author(s): Ganesh Lalwani
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

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Two of the papers are completely new digressions from the normal course. One is on Jaina Thanatology (<Greek thanatos, 'death') by Arvind Sharma who tries to explain kevalajñāna in the light of thanatology. He concludes by saying that "the evidence provided by subjects who have had near-death experiences of prolonged duration lends plausibility to the otherwise seemingly airy-fairy concept of kevalajñāna in Jainism.” (p. 50). And the other one is on penology (<Greek poine, 'penalty'> peno +logy) by R. C. Lalen. “Jain Penology”, says Lalen, "is the child of karma philosophy. The criminologists know karma in its retributory and retaliatory role. Association of karmic atoms forming a karmic-body (kārmaņa śarira) gloss over conscience of non-liberated souls since eternity.” (p. 79). He has nicely illustrated the subject with the 'Five Great Vows' (mahāvratas) and the mini-vows (anuyratas) and with other similar topics. But the Doctrine of Karma by Y. Krishnan is written from a different angle of vision. In a short but lucid paper the writer has outlined the basic tenets of karma which, in his opinion, is quite different from the Buddhists. It is true, indeed, that the theory of karma in Jainism occupies a unique place along with ahimsā (non-violence) which, A. C. Sen thinks, is the fundamental issue of Jainism,
Since the time of Albrecht Friedrich Weber (Indische Studien, vol. XVI, 1883, vol. XVII, 1885), some scholars have been discussing the problem of Pūrvas exhaustively. Weber was the pioneer in this respect. In his essay, Uber die heiligan Schriften der Jainas (Sacred Literature of the Jains'), he mooted this question for the first time, and this point was raised again and again by later scholars. Jarl Charpentier, for instance, reiterated this problem afresh in his Introduction to the Uttarādhyayana-sutra (1914). But none of them arrived at any definite conclusion. But Suzuko Ohira has adumbrated this issue again with a new outlook in her article, Problems of the Purva. She has cited several instances from the scriptures to prove that "the Pūrya forms an independent literature different from 12 Angas as evinced, for instance, in the Nandi Therävali 35 (39 in the Suttāgame) that speaks of Nagarjuna to have been the knower of Kālika-sútra and the Pūrva, and in the Catuhsarana 33 that enumerates 14 Pūrvi, 10 Purvi and 9 Purvi side by side 12 Angi and 11 Angi.” (p. 95). She has further said that "each Tirthańkara is assigned to be the source of the Pūrva literature as well as the Anga literature in his own Tirtha. In Mahavira's Tirtha Mabāvira is therefore the source of 14 Pūrvas and 12 Angas." (p. 96). In a short limited space and time Ohira's discussion is unique and to the point.
The Jain Journal in general, and this Jainthology in particular, is a