Selected Speeches of V R Gandhi

Author(s): Virchand R Gandhi
Publisher: Vallabhsuri Smarak Nidhi Godiji Jain Derasar Mumbai

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to undertake before one can come here, have prevented that able Jaina from attending this grand assembly and personally presenting to you the religious convictions of the Jainas. You will, therefore, look upon me as simply the mouthpiece of Muni Atmaramji, the learned high priest of the Jainas in India, who has devoted his whole life to the study of that ancient faith. I am truly sorry that Muni Atmaramji is not among us to take charge of the duty of addressing you.
1. Jainism has two ways of looking at things —one called the Dravyārthikanaya and the other the Paryāyārthikanaya. I shall illustrate the same. The production of a law is the production of something not previously existing, if we think of it from the latter point of view, i.e., as a Paryāya or modification; while it is not the production of something not previously existing, if we look at it from the former point of view, i.e., as a Dravya or substance. According to the Dravyārthikanaya view the universe is without beginning and without end, but according to the Paryāyārthikanaya view we have creation and destruction at every moment.
The Jaina canon may be divided into two parts: first, śruta Dharma, i.e., philosophy, and second, Caritra Dharma, i.e., ethics.
The śruta Dharma inquires into the nature of nine principles, six kinds of living beings and four states of existence-sentient beings, non-sentient things, merit, demerit. Of the nine principles, the first is ‘soul. According to the Jaina view 'soul'