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HERETICAL CONCEPTION OF UNIVERSE AND JAIN CRITIQUE AS DEPICTED IN THE SUTRAKRTĀNGA COMMENTARY OF SILANKA
Ch. Lalitha The Sütrakıtānga is a very ancient Jain Āgamic text placed second among the Angas. In the Sūtrakıtānga the themes of the inhabited universe (loka), empty space (alokā), lokāloka, soul (jīva), non-soul (ajīva), one's own doctrines (svasamaya) and the tenets of others (parasamaya) are discussed.
Heretical theories of universe : According to the Brāhmanical conception the creation and governance of the world is by the gods whereas others assume that the world is governed by Brahman. According to the Sūtrakrtanga Commentary of Sīlanka certain ignorant teachers of other religions contend that the world has been created or governed by gods whereas some others hold that it is created by Brahman. These are some of the prevalent views of the thinkers of other religions according to whom it is beyond the capacity of human beings to produce the entire phenomena. Hence the gods or one of the mightiest gods might have produced the universe. Here the 'Devauttë' can be explained in three ways namely. Firstly, Devauttē is explained as 'Devāirūptah' a god planting his seed in some 'women' might have produced human beings and other creations. Secondly, the world 'Devagupta' is explained as 'Devair guptah' the world of diverse phenomena is protected by a god and whenever the dharma degenerates and adharma prevails a god by incarnating himself protects it from his primal just as it as stated in the Bhagvadgītā. Thirdly, the term is translated as 'Devaputra' according to which the whole universe is the progeny of a god who has produced it. Some thinkers argued that this world is produced by Prajāpati Brahmā who is the designer of the vast brahmānda or universe. This idea can be seen in the Upanişads wherein it is stated that Hiranyagarbha preceded the creation and the Svayambhū having desired the creation created the elements like water etc? According to the 'great psi' whose name is neither mentioned in the text nor preserved by Sīlänka that the creation of the Universe is by Svayambhū. Explaining this verse the commentator points out that some Tirthikas hold that Lord Vishnu who is the Svayambhū is the creator of the world according to the sages of their tradition. The creation is a playful thing of Visnu or Līlā. In order to facilitate for continuous creation by the help of Yama or Māra this world along with its beings
