Pristine Jainism

Author(s): S M Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 31

(28) : Pristine Jainism to principles, yet Saints forbid inter-sub-caste marriages even in AgarwalKhandelwal Jains etc., resulting in many going out of fold. Flouting of Basic Tenets:
It is really amusing to see devotees dancing feverishly and carelessly, singing loudly during worship and other rituals (various vidhānas). This activity not only inadvertently harms small creatures ants etc and causes noise pollution, disturb silent meditators but also violates the prescribed code of conduct. The conduct rules by and large ordain abstention from sensuous pleasures of five senses of touch, taste, smell, vision and hearing. The rational path of religion (Dharma) is a continuous war against sensuous temptations to ultimate victory over them and it is the origin of the word Jina or “Jaina" i.e. victorious. Dance gives sensuous pleasure to the sense of vision and music and song to the sense of hearing. It is surprising that devotees adopt the path of sensuousness even in religious activity. The argument generally advanced is that all this is legitimate in devotion (Bhakti). As a matter of fact Bhakti does not give licence to flout basic tenets. It is wrong to justify bad means even for any good or pious purpose. Through vicissitudes of history there have been compulsions for saints to copy and adopt various practices of different sects to satisfy a common lay man who is not learned and does not know higher forms of meditation. Such people who constitute majority are generally attracted by mundane rituals like worship, festivities etc. There was possibility and it has happened that many Jains got swayed away and drifted to other sects. However, the earlier saints were cautions and gave connotations to rituals of worship etc within the parameters of Jaina tenets. Whatever may be the genesis of rituals and their relevance in a particular situation at some point or period of time these should not be perpetuated because they suppress the basic tenets of Jainism which centre round good deeds and conduct. Christianity, Islam and Sikkhism came much later than pre-Vedic Jainism, yet they spread far wider with several times larger following than Jainism. These religions did not succumb to tenets and rituals of others, Jainism had continuously