Studies in Jainism

Author(s): Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta
Publisher: Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta

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ŚRAMAŅA OR NON-BRAHMANICAL SECTS
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these, only life is endowed with knowledge and others are not. They are beginningless, eternal, and indivisible. They can severally assemble together and assume varied forms, such as mountain, bamboo, diamond, etc. Only a man of divine vision can perceive single atoms. Pleasure and pain are atomic. The life-atom, which is imperceptible, becomes embodied through its own karma. Only an arhat can perceive it. It can, by its nature, enter into all things constituted of four kinds of atoms. When it enters into a body, it takes all the qualities of the body as its own.37 The Jiva knows by means of contact, pressing on, and mingling with, the corporeal things. 38
There are six classes of beings--black, blue-black, green, red, yellow, and white.39 The final stage is Release (vidu), which is extremely white. There are two kinds of released persons, sambodhaka and mandala. The Sittiyar describes the functions of these two types of persons thus: the former remains always in the highest stage of life, while the latter comes down on earth to impart the sacred scriptures to the world. The Nilakeci remarks here that in case all Jīvas attain mokşa, the spring of samsāra will dry up. So they invented the doctrine of mandala-moksa, according to which Jivas that have attained mokṣa may come to sannsāra in order to keep the latter going. 40
There are eight kinds of results determinable at the stage of embryo : acquisition, loss, obstruction by impediments, migration to other place, suffering misery, enjoying pleasure, losing what is obtained, and birth and death. It is to be noted that the Bhagavati-Sūtra mentions only six, omitting the third and the fourth.
This sect originated in North India, perhaps at Śrāvasti, and flourished for several centuries, probably beginning with the early part of the sixth century B.C.41 It enjoyed
37. Cf. Majjhima Nikaya, I, No. 35, pp.230-33. 38. N.A. Sastri, op.cit., pp.407-9. 39. According to Manimekalai. The Sitiyār reads : white, yellow, red,
blue, extremely white, and green. 40. N.A. Sastri, op.cit., p.419. 41. According to Barua seventh or eighth century B.C. Bühler is also of the
opinion that the founder of the sect may be placed about 750 B.C.