Study in the Origins and Development of Jainism

Author(s): S N Shrivastava
Publisher: Rekha Publication Gorakhpur

Page 46

Tribal or non-Aryan Origin
different parts of the world. Such theories were held even by tribal peoples of Gangetic region where the Śramaņa religions flourished. Indian religious philosophers did not invent rebirth theory, they simply transformed the simple, to use the terms of Gananath Obeyeskere," 'rebirth' to 'karmic eschatology' through the process of 'ethicisation'. The rebirth theory of the tribal people lacks ethicisation; the deeds of individual have no retributive character because they are not morally or religiously evaluated. The conversion of moral evaluation into religious evaluation evolves out of primitive base. In the primitive rebirth eschatology the other world is for all; the transfer to the other world depends on the proper performance of the funeral rites. But when this system is ethicised, entry to the otherworld must be contingent., depending on the ethical nature of person's this worldly actions". 18 The other world is logically split into twoworlds of retribution and reward i.e. hell and heaven. Souls stay in heaven or hell is temporary and are reborn in human world which is already ethicised. Souls quality of life in human world is determined by the character of deeds done in previous life. Thus ethicisation of a rebirth eschatology, pushed to its logical extreme, links one life time with another or in a continuing series of ethical links: which simply means that the South Asian theory of Saṁsāra and karma has fully developed'.'' One of the three factors i.e. (i) a highly specialised priesthood engaged in speculative activity (ii) ethical prophesy (iii) ethical asceticism, is said to be responsible for ethicisation."
Two categories of ethicisation have been envisaged i.e. primary ethicisation and secondary ethicisation. In primary 'ethicisation a social and secular morality is converted into religious morality'while, 'the imposition of symbolic ethical meaning on preexisting beliefs is secondary ethicisation'.
Ethicisation of ancient Indian religions occurred through ethical asceticism and Obeyesker gives the credit of it to the Buddha. The