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The Problems of Ethics and Karma
The above discussion of the Bhagavart treatment of the problems of ethics and karma-doctrine is based on the passages directly and expressly dealing with these two sets of problems. But some further and indirect light is thrown on the same by the passages dealing with the problems of mythology and those narrating stories. The classical Jaina authors came to develop an elaborate and well-rounded system of mythology with a cosmographic and a bistorical sector. The cosmographic sector spoke of the supposed numerous heavens and hells, the supposed numerous world-continents and world-oceans of those places themselves as also of the residents thereof The historical sector spoke of the mighty personages ---belonging to the spheres spiritual as well as temporal-supposed to have appeared on the scene of history since time immemorial. Bhagavatı does not exbibit acquaintance with this entire developments because much of this development is a comparatively late phenomenon. But the treatment of heavens and heavenly beingsappearing in the purely theoretical passages, as also in those narrating stories are detailed enough and instructive enough. Thus we are given ample information not only about the number of the different types and sub-types of gods and goddesses but also about their prosperity, their super-ordinary capacities, their weakenesses of character. In Its essence the life of a god and goddesses is the life of a successful worldly human being writ large (and minus its toils). Now the impression is definitely and deliberately Coreated that one becomes god as a result of bis meritorious career as a human being either as a monk or as a pious householder, and the question naturally arises as to why the authors of Bhagavati posed before human beings-particularly before monks--the prospect of a future life essentially akin to that of a prosperous worldly human belng. The question bocomes particularly pressing when it is remembered that the oldest Jaina authors bad Anothing but disdain for one hankering after worldly success. These authors placed before a monk the prospect of mokşa and they would denounce the life of a householder precisely because it was supposed to be a hlodrance in the path of realizing such a prospect. Thus with them there was no question of placing before anybody the prospect of a future life as & god. not before a householder who was considered to be a doomed being any. way, not before a monk who was considered to be an aspirant after nothing But molşa, These authors might well threaten a worldling with the prospect of a horrible future life in some hell, but they would never seek to tempt ?him through the prospect of a joyous future life in some heaven. All the same, with the passage of time the Jaina authors did begin to tempt not only a householder but even a monk through the prospect of a joyous future life in some heaven, and the Bhagayati passages under consideration constitute a powerful testimony to this change of outlook. Of course, the idea was Sambodhi 2.3
