Religion and Philosophy of the Jainas

Author(s): Virchand R Gandhi
Publisher: Jain International Ahmedabad

Page 14

INTRODUCTION
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in time from the standpoint of the manifestations or particular parts. It has two grand divisions, viz. the animate world and the inanimate world, the former consists of innumerable kinds of living beings while the latter consists of matter (atoms and molecules and things), medium of motion, medium of inertia and space. Gandhi observes : The universe is not merely a congeries of the above mentioned substances, heaped together and set in activity by an extra-cosmic creator, but is a system by itself, governed by laws inherent in its very constitution." He sides with those Jaina thinkers who do not recognise time as an independent substance. He says, "Time may be figuratively called a substance, really meaning a generalized mode of thought in regard to the activities of beings and things."
Chapter 6 expounds the Jaina view of God. God in the sense of an extra-cosmic personal creator has no place in the Jaina philosophy. It emphatically opposes the idea of such creator as illogical and irrelevant in the general scheme of the universe.
According to the Jainas God is not the creator of the world, For them he is a perfected soul. He is absolutely pure. He has destroyed all passions and removed all mental impurities. As a result of this, He manifests infinite knowledge, infinite vision, infinite bliss and infinite power. This is the reason why such a supreme soul is regarded as God. So God is not one. There are many Gods. Anybody can become God by purifying himself or herself. In this sense God is the son of man.
God is free from attachment and aversion. Consequently He is neither pleased nor displeased. So the question arises : what is the use of worshipping Him ? The Jaina philosophers say that worship of God is not to please Him but to purify one's own self. Worshipping Him and contemplating on Him rouses the feeling of non-attachment in the worshipper. The company of the good inculcates good qualities, and that of the bad, bad qualities. 'Good company, good influence; bad company, bad influence so the saying goes. What is meant by His company ?