Kesarimalji Surana Abhinandan Granth

Author(s): Nathmal Tatia, Dev Kothari
Publisher: Kesarimalji Surana Abhinandan Granth Prakashan Samiti

Page 1248

Jinasena and his Political Philosophy
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in the name of Gautama that Jinasena has described this traditional account of Jaina political theory.
It would have been useful if details, such as date, place etc., of Jinasena are recounted here. Unfortunately, Jinasena did not mention his time and place. However, on the basis of evidence from other Purānas, Commentaries etc., scholars are agreed that Jinasena lived between 800-900 A. D. This date has also been accepted by Shri U.N. Ghoshal, author of 'A Short History of Indian Political Ideas. Regarding place some scholars connect our poet-Acārya with Karnataka (in Vankapur), while some others credit him with living at Vatsgrāma (modern Baroda). or with Chitrakūta (modern Chittor). However, as he was a Jaina monk, who always remains wandering except the rainy season, it is too difficult to locate his fixed place. His disciple Guņabhadra has mentioned in Uttarapurāņa that King Amoghavarşa I of Rästrakūța dynasty, who had Mānyakheța as his capital, paid his respects to Jinasena. He (Amoghavarsa I) is also reported a follower of Jainism. However, the two might have been contemporary. Besides, Adipurāņa, Jinasena also wrote Pārsvābhyudaya and Vardhamānapurāņa, now lost. He also wrote Jayadhavală commentary (later part of it) in 40,000 verses in Sanskrt and Präkst on Kaşāyapahüda and completed it in 837 A. D. Thus it would be seen that Jinasena was a literary giant.
KEYNOTE The keynote of the political philosophy of Jinasena is that there is no creator of this world. The universe or its cause are really the souls that fill it and they are helped by Karmas in it or it is due to the agency of the Karmas that this world is full of mundane souls. All such terms as God, Creator, Fate or Destiny are nothing but synonyms of the architect known as Karma.
Having denied the existence of any Creator, there is no place for any God-appointed king or any ruler having elements of God in him. Thus, the theory of divine origin of king is unacceptable to Jinasena. Even the first king viz., Rsabhadeva was not a God when he was chosen a king by his fellowmen though after renunciation of this world and practising penance he became a liberated soul and was regarded as the first Tirthankara (originator or propounder of religion or religious path) or the first Lord or God. Jinasena has expressly written in his Adipurāna that when Rsabhadeva devised six means of livelihood for his fellowmen, he was a person attached to this world (Sarāgi). Similarly, the fourteen Kulakaras or Patriarchs that preceded him are not to be supposed to have been invested with any divinity. At the most, the
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चेतनाधिष्ठितं हीदं कर्मनिर्मातचेष्टितम् । नन्वक्ष--सुख-दुःखादि वैश्वरूपाय कल्प्यते ॥ निर्माणकर्मनिर्मात कौशलायादिनोयम् । अङ्गोपाङ्गादिवैचित्र्यमङ्गिनां संगिरावहे ॥ तदेतत्कर्म-वैचित्र्याद् भवन्नानात्मकं जगत् । विश्वकर्माणिमात्मानं साधयेत् कर्मसारथिम् ॥ विधिः स्रष्टा विधाता च दैवं कम पुराकृतम् । ईश्वरश्चेति पर्याया विज्ञयाः कर्म वेधसः ।।
(stfagerut, x/2x-30).
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Ibid, 16-180