Pristine Jainism

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

Page 97

(94) : Pristine Jainism the universe correctly but most of the knowledge imparted by them was forgotten by later saints and scholars who started writing much later from very little that was left in their memory. It may be because of this fact that earth as flat and sequences and position of stars have been mentioned under the influence of prevailing concepts before the advent of modern astronomy, its powerful tools, the telescopes, satellites and rocketry etc. Saints and scholars who authored the scriptures were not kevali and they may have wronged. Jains should admit it and should not insist upon all that is written in the scriptures is correct and can not be modified. These will strengthen the validity of the concept of kevali in Jainism. There is an urgent need to organise broad-based conferences of saints and scholars and revise or delete those contents of scriptures, which are obviously not correct in the light of glaring scientific facts.
Jaina Mythology:
During the medieval period people liked stories and biographies rather than direct teachings of religious principles and conduct rules. It was also easy to educate masses about good and bad deeds and their consequences by the examples of kings, traders, and criminals through stories and biographies. Saints and scholars wrote several biographies known as Purăņas. This branch of Jaina literature was classified as Prathamānuyoga. Simultaneously scriptures on serious topics Dravyānuyoga (mainly about soul, its attributes and properties); Karaṇānuyoga (Interactions of soul and matter, Karma siddhānta, cosmology etc.) and Caraṇānuyoga (Conduct rules) were also being written. However all serious topics could be more easily explained through stories. Prathamānuyoga was thus a medium of teaching of all other subjects.
What is disturbing is that there are different versions of the same characters by different Jaina saints e.g. different version of Jaina Rāmāyaṇa (biography of Rāma). It is necessary to sort out and remove these contradictions and bring out only one version of different biographies