Study of Jainism

Author(s): T G Kalghatgi
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 17

CHAPTER-1
1. The essence of Indian Culture is to be found in the synthesis of the Sramana and the vedic currents of thought. S ramana current of thought is Non-Vedic, It is, in fact, PreVedic. It was prevalent in India much before the Vedic Aryans came to this land. The Vedic culture does not express the concepts of Mokşa, Karma and Sanyasa. These were introduced in the Aryan way of life through the assimilation of the framanic thought. There is only casual reference to the concept of renunciation in the Rgveda. The Vedic seers were more concerned with the richness of this life; and the Samhitas in the Rgveda are invocations to the Gods, who are mainly personifications of Nature, for the plenty and prosperity in this life. The sramana way of life influenced the conquering Aryans and by the time of the Aranyakas and Upanişads, the concepts of self-abnegation and tne mokşa were incorporated in the Vedic thought.
Jainism belongs to the śramaņa current of thought Jainism is a religion preached by the Jina, and Jina is a perfected soul who preaches the Law to the suffering humanity. He is one who has conquered the passions. The perfected souls are free from the karmic bondage. They are omniscient. They have kēvala Jñana and Darsana. The perfected souls free from the karmic bondage live in eternal bliss. Among them, some, out of compassion for the suffering humanity and with a view to freeing the beings from the mire of misery, preached the Dharma (Law). They are the tirthanakaras. Tirtha refers to the crossing of the ocean of life and tirthankara is one who leads us, like kindly light, towards the eternal life of perfection. Tirtha also refers to the social and spiritual order which consists of the framana, i.e., (monks) Sramaņi (Nuns) Sravaka (the lay follower of religion) and Sravika (Women laity). Tirthankara leads the four orders of society towards the path of spiritual perfection. When we say that Jainism is a religion preached by the Jina, we mean Jainism expresses the eternal truths of life and spirituality preached by the prophets who are tirthankaras and who have crossed the ocean of life.
The concept of Tirthankara is, however, different from the concept of Avatara which we find in the Vedic religion. Tirthankara does not express the connotation of incarnation of divinity