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N. L. Jain
Nirgrantha
towards statusquoism, inertia, and denaturation. Though the canonical age gave a new turn to ritualistic religion, it was modified and nurtured properly only in the philosophical age. This age created the concepts of heavens, salvation, and the concept of soul different-from-body. This age also supported the processes of austerities and meditation based on individualistic purification. Besides, many intellectualistic concepts like theory of knowledge and ford-builderism etc. were also developed. This age gave a little more general definition of religion. It somewhat sided more with individualistic welfare along with social welfare. The author of the Sūtrkstānga-cūrņi® indicated the worldly as well as other-worldly prosperity as the form of religion like the Vaiseșika'. The great scholar-philosopher Samantabhadra also defined religion as one which raises one to the position of highest bliss from the worldly displeasures. Pūjyapāda Devanandi and Akalanka also defined religion as that which leads one to the cherished position". Though Pujyapāda kept silence over the mention of these positions, Akalanka pointed them out clearly in classificatory terms of heavenly deities, earthly kings, and ascetics. He, however, did not mention the position of salvation in this context. The philosophic age opened new vistas of knowledge. It is credited for moulding the human mind towards scientificity and logicism in addition to authoritarianism in the field of visible and invisible world. Devotional Age : The intellectualism of philosophic age was not suitable to the psychology of laymen. It was too complex for them. In fact, the period posed a problem of even preserving the institution of religion as the country's political situation also took an unfavourable turn at this time. There could be no question of modifying it. This led to the concept of devotionalism and practice. Though this trend existed and has been noted in earlier times, it could not be popularised until this age. This resulted in the importance of spiritualism or inner soul and individualistic pleasure or bliss. Various forms of devotion (incantations, hymns, etc.) were developed. This period continued for about 1000 years when people had to become more religion-preservers and individualistic towards physical or spiritual progress. This resulted in an individualistic mind leading to a large contraction in scientific outlook. The social welfaristic religion of canonical age was converted into an individualistic base. To assume religion in this way would be called a contracted definition rather than a general one. The definition took forms like :1. A means for purification of soul (life ?) 2. A means for attaining four qualitative infinities (of knowledge, sight, energy,
and bliss) 3. A means to learn the nature of self and non-self : 4. As nature of self and non-self itself. These definitions led the religion to be purely introspective. The common man enjoyed this definition as the qualities of soul and pleasures of other world were described in mystically indescribable way. Man became habituated to wander in an ideal world through religion. This led him to live in this world with specific indifference with an
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