Portrait of Jain Religion

Author(s): Narendra Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 20

namely unhappy-happy. When the time wheel will take an upward swing, Utsarpini period will start and in its ara 3 namely unhappyhappy ara, 23 Tirthankars will be born, and the last one in ara 4 namely happy-unhappy ara. The same pattern would have taken shape in the time cycle prior to Rishabhdev. This is indicative of the eternal nature of Jain religion.
This time cycle goes on for ever and makes Jain religion an eternal one embracing the entire universe with its animate and nonanimate elements which go on interacting with one another. There is infact no single soul or Jiva. There are infinite number of distinct and independent Jivas going through the cycle of birth and death. Every living being is a single soul in a material body of a human, animal, bird, insect or plant transmigrating from one life form to another and in the process becoming impure and polluted.. By itself the soul is eternal, intangible and formless. It can only be experienced by dwelling deep within oneself by detachment from material bondages., and controlling oneself through self-restraint and self-discipline as ordained and elucidated in the Jain spiritual path covering 14 Gunasthanas (stages).
Lord Mahavir observed : “A man conquers millions of warriors in a terrible battle Another man conquers himself If these two are compared The ultimate victory is that in which The Self is conquered by Self.” He further preached : "Maker, unmaker of pleasure and pain for the self Is the Self itself, none else Self again is friend and foe That induces good or evil.” Souls born in form of human, animal, bird, insect or plant accumulate in the course of their interaction with matter
A Portrait of Jain Religion