Mahavira and his Teaching

Author(s): C C Shah, Rishabhdas Ranka, Dalsukh Malvania
Publisher: Bhagwan Mahavir 2500th Nirvan Mahotsava Samiti

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V. M. KULKARNI of it as “Aupanişada Puruşa' The author of Pan jikā on the Tattvasangraha of Sāntarakṣita refers to this Cause as the Vedavādimata and supports his view with two quotations:
“As the spider is the cause of the cob-webs, the moonstone of water and the banyan tree of its off-shoots so is the purusa the cause of all born things.” And,
“The Purusa was all that is and all that will be". Most probably the word Puruşa in the Svetāśvatara denotes this Purusa in the very well known Purusa-sūkta of the Rgveda.
It is curious to note that the translation of the verse in Sanmati-Tarka quoted above understands the first part of the expression ('purisakāraṇegantā' as purisakāra (SK; puruşakāra: Human Effort) whereas the commentary understands 'purisa' as the first part and explains: “Some are Puruşavādí who advocate a theory that Puruşa only is the cause and in support of their theory argue that God creates, destroys and keeps this world stable.” In his notes to the text of Vimsati-vimsikā IV.14 (p. 11) Prof. K. V. Abhyankar understands the first word of the expression as purisa and renders it as 'the soul. Be that as it may, I confine the paper to a discussion of the doctrine of Niyati (predestination) and Free volition or Human Effort.
The word Niyatı or Daiva Adışta stands for Fate, Destiny, the mysterious but irresistible power of the acts done in previous lives, which rules unnoticed. Niyativāda or Daivavāda is, therefore, the Doctrine of Fatalism, Predestination or Destiny, all embracing overmastering Fate, a mysterious Cosmic power which controls 1. Vol. I, p. 76:
ऊर्णनाम इवांशूनां चन्द्रकान्त इवाम्भसाम् । प्ररोहाणामिव प्लक्षः स हेतुः किल जन्मिनाम् ।।
TT – “gen går af CHO TO 7247" fa ( Tara 80.80.7) 2.
Eng. translation from Gujarati published by Svetāmbar Jain Conference, Bombay is wrong. See, Gujaratı Tr. published by Gujarāt Vidyāpītha, 1932. Ed.