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Chapter 8 Jaina Eschatology
Statement of the Problem
We come across a profound use of the term 'karma' in the oriental systems of philosophy. The doctrine of karma, in one or the other form, has unfailingly influenced Indian thought. It is considered to provide a sufficient explanation of the great riddle of misery, happiness and diversity in the world of living beings. Dr. Radhakrishnan observes: "The connection with the past at the human stage is denoted by the term “karma' in Hindu systems... Human growth is an ordered one, and its orderliness is indicated by saying that it is governed by the law of karma.”:1 The individuals differ among themselves in respect of their capacities, behaviour, material adjuncts and the consequent feelings of pain and happiness. The principle of karma, as the believers of the doctrine think, just reveals the secret of such variations and differences. The karma may, thus, be said to be the principle of limitation and obscuration of the powers of the soul. As nothing in the constitution of an entity can be detrimental to its own identity, the Jaina thinks that this obstructing factor, called the karma, must be alien to the soul's constitution. C.R. Jain says: “As our thought and deeds affect our character, and create or modify the tendencies of our soul, karmas must be recognized to be a force of some kind; for it would be ridiculous to maintain a thing could be affected
1. S. Radhakrishnan: An Idealist View of Life, p. 275
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