________________
(26)
ties that it attributes to Him, are just the qualities which most of the theists acknowledge. It is needless to state that it is unreasonable to denounce Jainism as atheism merely on the ground that it does not attribute to God a particular quality viz., the act of creating the universe-a quality which, if admitted, takes away the greatness of God, and furnishes Him in return with a bundle of blemishes, imperfections and infamy. According to Jainism, God is the emancipated, pure, perfected soul. His emancipation (Moksha) is not what is commonly supposed to be extinction or annihilation of the soul but is really the positive attainment of God-hood, the full enjoyment of infinite bliss, infinite knowledge and infinite power. He is not disturbed by a management of the affairs of the cosmos, has to listen to no appeals and prayers made by persons, one calling forth Divine vengence against the other and has to visit none by Divine wrath, is neither the tool of one to harass another or the instrument of destruction working at the invocation of another to the prejudice of his enemy, is neither pleased with His votaries nor displeased with those who ignor or deny His existence. He is above all want and woe, beyond all frolic and fun. He is neither the punisher of the wicked nor the rewarder of the good; neither is he the recorder of human actions nor the dispenser of justice between man and man. The Jainas do not consider Him as a redeemer or a meditator; nor do they recognise the necessity of a dispenser of justice
CAT
~Lumina1
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
