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THE JAINA ANSWER TO THE THREE QUESTIONS *
D. C. Mehta
1. The life upon earth has great meaning and deep significance. Without clearly understanding its meaning and significance, one cannot live his life in correct and proper way. The development of man in all aspects, may be described as an attempt to know this meaning and signlficance. In other words, it is an attempt to discover himself. Whether we take the West or the East, the sa n9 principle namely know thyself seems to be the underlying urge.
2. When we look to the West, we find that the beginning of tho spiritual philosophy is traced to pre-Socratic period of Greek Civilisation, To know the development of thought in West, one will study the Greek philosophy propounded by Socrates and know about his process known as « Socratic Dialectic.” He will study Plato through his immortal Dialo. gues and he will study Aristotle. He will study the Christian thought where Jesus appeared and told the Pharasees and the Scribes that the kingdom of God is within. He will study the movement known as Renai. ssance: he will study the intellectual development just after Renaissance which took two different forms-one associated with Francis Becon and the other with Descartes. He will study the English Empirical philosophy of Locke, Berkeley and Home; and he will study the German Idealism of Hume, Kant and Hegel.
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3. When we look to the East, all the available information about self and God in Indian thought is to be gathered from three sources: a) The first source consists of the Sambitās, the Brāhmaṇas and
the Upanişads. The term Brāhmaṇa means here the sacred prayer involving the aid of God,
The second source is Jain Literature - secular and religious. (111) The third source is Buddhistic literature - Secular and religious.
4. For this conference which has been organised with a view to have intensive search in the matter of God and to cultivate the spirit of Universal brotherhood, it has been desired of me that I should throw light in relation to Jajnigm on the three questions namely:
(1) What is the Holy name and form of God ?
* Paper read at The First All India Religious Conference, Bombay on 11th and 12th June 1977.
