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Concept of Liberation and its Pre-requisites
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a distinction between good deeds and evil deeds. It prescribes the termination only of the evil deeds and not the good deeds, rather it enjoins to perform the good deeds 14. While prescribing the means to attain the capability of acquiring liberation, Pañcasūtrakam enjoins to perform the righteous deeds (sukhadasevanañ ). The cause of bondage lies in evil deeds. The effect of evil deeds is neutralised not only by abstaining from them but by performing good deeds. Repeated study of holy scriptures dissuade a person from evil deeds and persuades him to go for good deeds. Virtuous deeds remove or minimise the effect of evil deeds as the effect of poison is minimised or rendered easy to be removed by the application of proper remedy. The evil deeds in this manner are removed for ever and their effect cannot occur again as the effect of poison, once removed does not recur. 15
Thus, the Jaina philosophy is a positive philosophy. It does not teach abstention from work. Merely to live in reclusion is not helpful to get liberation. One has to render service to the living beings to counter the effect of evil deeds done previously. It agrees with the main Indian stream of thought that the service to others is goodness whereas torturing other is evil (paropakārah punyāya pāpāya parapidanaṁ ). It goes side by side with the message of Gitā which teaches that the obligatory duties (benevolent in nature ) prescribed in scriptures do not cause bondage. Other actions done with a definite desire to attain fruit for himself do cause bondage. The Gitā lays special emphasis on the renunciation of attachment and desire in fruits. Jaina philosophy also purports the same thing as an action can be benevolent only if it is shorn of the desire to get dividend in return.
Pañcasūtrakam specifically lays down that the seed of liberation lies in the realisation by the aspirant that he should become capable of rendering service to others. He should avoid all such actions as are against the interests of the people. He should be kind to them. He should not hurt any living being nor should he covet another's belongings." He should, in fact, be benevolent to everybody (sawa-hiyakari ), because hurting the feelings of others is the real obstacle in the path of attaining liberation.18
State of Liberation
Liberation is the highest achievement. When it is acquired, the soul becomes free from all worldly desires. It becomes pure Brahma, the most powerful entity. It becomes of the form of eternal pleasure. The seed in the form of deeds having been destroyed, the liberated soul becomes free from the states of birth, old age and death. It realises its own true nature. All its activities are ceased. It
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