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112
Suzuko Ohira
padarthas which is also produced by dharma, and that liberation is attainable when the physical embodiment causes to arise in the total absence of adrsta which causes the subsequent einbodiment.
Adřsta which is the cause of motion in the natural phenomena inexplainable by empirical experiences is the invisible cosmic force, which embodies itself in the favourable or unfavourable way according to the religio-mortal actions of dharma-adharma. This concept was precisely as it is seized by the then Jaina theoreticians to solve their critical problem of the cause of siddhas' non-intrusion into aloka. To make it plain, siddhas are able to ascend to the top of loka by the favour of adrsta due to their dharma or merit, but they are absolutely prohibited from crossing the border of loka, of which transgression incurs adharma or sin by the disfavour of adssta (meaning that they have to be thrown back to samsāra again). Adrşta thus came out here as the cosmic force with the capacity of awarding to siddhas a reward and a punishment depending upon their meritorious deeds. Meritorious and demeritorious deeds are certainly voluntary actions. Dharma was therefore conceived as the cosmic cause of siddhas' movement to ascend to Siddhasila, thus it consists of the abstinence from 18 kriyas and the observance of samiti-gupti; and adharma was conceived as the cosmic cause of the stoppage of siddhas' motion beyond Siddhasila, thus it consists of the reverse contents of dharma.
Synonyms of dharma expressed in the Bhagavatisūtra XX.2.664 must have been offered at this earliest stage of their evolution, and since meritorious-demeritorious deeds as such are necessarily voluntary actions, dharma-adharma could have been easily explained in terms of coming and going or standing and sitting at the beginning. A considerable time must have been required for these crude concept of dharma-adharma to be improved and established in the ontological contexts of reality as they 80 stand at present, which is suspected to have occured very close to the time of Umāsvati.
NOTE
1. 2. 3.
K. K. Dixsit : Jaina Ontology, p. 34 H. Jacobi : Studies in Jainism, pp. 18, 84-85 E. Frauwallner : History of Indian Philosophy, v. 2. p. 62
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