Sambodhi

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 44

Padmanabh S. Jain
caste, etc.), and most importantly, because it endears the individual to the Lord, who is the only arbiter of his destiny.
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It is well known that Indian society has set forth four distinct goals which are worthy of human endeavour; these are dharma, artha, kāma, and mokşa. Mokṣa stands apart not only from artha and kama, but also from dharma, when dharma is taken in the sense of caste duties. In order to attain mokşa, the fourth goal of life, one must renounce artha and kāma, as well as the relevant portion of dharma. But Vedic theism, as it has been outlined above, has been able to remove, through the agency of scriptural texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, the conflict between the distinct goals of mokşa and dharma. The theistic religions have introduced devotion as a means of attaining to mokṣa, and by emphasizing that devotion consists of the performance of one's dharma, without in any way abnegating artha and käma, they have made the two goals of dharma and mokşa compatible and have given the individual justification for leading the worldly life. Thus they have sanctioned the individual's involvement with his family's welfare and with the society of which he is a part; whether as a warrior, a priest, a merchant, or a craftsman or laborer. This involvement with society rests on the idea that the individual is part of the same creation as all other beings, and that the creator wants him to reach his goal through his involvement.
Devotion, therefore, strikes at the very roots of asceticism, which is the chief characteristic of the Śramaņas. The śramanas have never attempted to define the svadharma of any human being: they have never contributed to the theory of the caste system; and they have rejected the notion of a three-fold prakṛti (sattva, tamas, rajas), the various mixtures of which are responsible for the caste system. The fact that Hinduism defines svadharma makes artha and kama acceptable goals, in that they are properly limited. In the absence of a notion of svadharma, however, artha and kāma are bereft of any redeeming qualities and cannot be turned into a means of
salvation.
Unlike the Hindu the Buddhist and Jaina cannot, therefore, assimilate the goal of mokṣa with the social responsibilities of production or distribution of wealth, sustaining the family, and propagating the race. In order to win salvation the śramana must renounce artha and kama in every respect; renunciation, itself, is his dharma. If indeed śramana is asked about a man's svadharma, he will be able to point to the examples of their great teachers' (the Buddha and Mahavira) lives and say that it is the very paths of these masters.