________________
104
Studies in Haribhadrasuri
Tasmād a-nādy a-nidhanaṁ vyasanorubhīmań Janmāra-dosa-drdha-nemy-ati-rāga-tungam / Ghoraṁ sva-karma-pavanerita-loka-cakrań Bhrāmyaty anāratam idam kim iheśvareņa //
This clarifies the following points with regard to the conception of God or Supreme Soul in the present work:
(i) As is natural with the author, who is a Jaina Ācārya, the concept of one supreme power of the nature of Paramātman or Parabrahman is not acceptable to Haribhadrasūri.
(ii) Still, in the first verse, he designates Mahāvīra as 'Ekam anekaṁ kevala-rūpam jinottamam', which means that Mahāvīra is the best, highest, supreme Ātman, the one amongst the many.
(iii) Ātman and Jiva are, for the purpose of the Jaina philosophy carefully differentiated. Ātman is here an incarnation of all virtues, knowledge, enlightenment and perfection, while the Jiva is a living being moving to and fro and being tossed in the world due to attachments, vices and what not. Ātman at the highest state is Videha-mukta, i.e. purified or realized or perfect soul endowed with Ananta-darśana, Ananta-jñāna, Ananta-vīrya and Ananta-sukha.
(iv) However, through struggle for years, countless births, rise and fall, and unstinted effort, enlightenment may and can come to the Jīva, and it can attain the higher state, and struggle for the attainment of the state of a Siddha.
(v) Knowledge, unstinted devotion, struggle to attain a state of non-action, perfect non-violence, non-attachment and perfect self-control are the qualities that a Jiva should attain.
(vi) The Tirthankaras are Siddhas, i.e. liberated souls, no doubt, but their status is higher in Jainism because of their spirit of service to humanity and to all living beings, in an effort to help others rise to higher and higher planes, and to guide men of the world preserve and protect ethical and moral values,
