________________
evolution he can reach the final liberation. Thus, at least according to Vedic schools such as Vedānta etc. even a householder by practising the spiritual discipline can overcome intense attachment (râga) repulsion (dveśa) and ignorance (ajñāna) and attain liberation.
śrīmad Rājacandra's stand on this issue is rather dubious. He himself favours asceticism for his further spiritual progress, particularly in order to play a legitimate role of the master or the reformer of a Jainism. Even though he is a householder, he sometimes declares himself to be a vītarāga jñānī like Mahāvīra, while on other occasions, he admits to be only a householder of the 4th or 5th spiritual stage. In this respect, he mostly sticks to the traditional Jain dogma according to which monkhood is essential for final spiritual progress. The Digambara Jain tradition is rigid in this respect. However, its promoter Acārya Kundakunda makes a very significant comment at the end of his famous work on spiritualism named Samayasāra. He observes:
The ignorant persons say that the adoption of the external marks of ascetics or on a householders of many kinds is the only way to liberation. The mark is never the way to liberation, because the arhats who have given up an attachment to the body and ignored the mark, have realized right belief and knowledge and conduct. The marks of the householder and of the ascetic are never the path to liberation. The Jinas say so. Therefore, giving up the external marks adopted by the householders or ascetics, absorb the soul in right belief, knowledge and conduct which is the path of liberation.
To conclude, we may contend that Jainism laid down by Tirthankaras such as Mahāvíra, as a general rule (utsarga märga), lays equal emphasis on both the internal purity of soul and its external manifestation in a monk's discipline. However, as an exception (apavāda) a householder may attain liberation on the basis of internal purity. Here Śrīmad, perhaps, may agree with us!
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
