Religion and Culture of the Jains

Author(s): D C Sirkar
Publisher: University of Calcutta

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A SUMMARY OF JAIN PHILOSOPHY R. K. Bhattacharya, Centre of Advanced Study in AIHC,
Calcutta University
Indian Philosophy may primarily be divided into two different sections, i. e., Āstika and Nāstika (i. e., Theistic and Atheistic), the former having its faith in the existence of God and latter not having it. Some of the commentators on Pāņini's Grammar explain the term Astika as denoting those who have their faith in Paraloka or the life after death. The Cārvāka philosophy having its faith neither in God nor in the life after death was admitted by all as Nästika. On the other hand, the philosophies of the Buddhists and the Jains having their firm faith in the theory of rebirth (i. e. life after death ) have been denounced by many of the Indian thinkers as Nāstika simply for their disbelief in the existence of God, and apparently also for their non-belief in the fruitfulness of the Vedic rituals. As the philosophy of the Buddhists and the Jains believe in rebirth and the fruitfulness of one's action, which fall in line with the thought of the Hindu philosophers, and are contrary to the ideas of the Cārvākas, a new name Pākhanda or Pāşanda was given to them for distinguishing them from Cārvāka philosophy. Virchand R. Gandhi, who represented Jainism in the Parliament of Religions held at Chicago in 1893 and also preached the philosophy of the Jains throughout the world, discussed the essence of Jain philosophy in his celebrated lectures published by the Agamodaya Samiti of Bombay.1
The term Jaina means 'a follower of the Jina' who 'conquered the lower nature, i. e. passion, hatred and the like, and brought into prominence the highest'. The Jains look into the things in two different ways, of which one is called Dravy
į V. R. Gandhi, The Jain Philosophy, edited and published by Sri Agamodaya Samiti, Bombay (2nd ed., 1924)
2 Ibid., p. 15.