Study of Jainism

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

Page 77

CHAPTER 4
VARDHAMANA MAHĀVĪRA
1. The 6th Century B.C. was the age of intellectual firmament in the world. In Greece several philosophical enquiries gave rise to the diversity of views, from Thales to the Sophists in the PreSocratic era. The Sophists were professional philosophers, who said "Homo Mensura". Truth was considered to be subjective and relative. Objective knowledge of reality became impossible. The Sophist had created intellectual chaos. It was an age of fashionable Agnosticism and doubtful Scepticism. And Socrates came on the scene to find out the objectivity of truth. He wanted to define terms.
India too, which is considered to be one of the fore-runners of civilization, witnessed, during this period, enoromous movement and chaos in the intellectual and social fields. Hosts of philosophers claiming to sell their philosophical wares to the people were roaming about the North-Eastern part of India which may be considered to be craddle of Indian culture. There were the Kriyavadins who claimed to preach that activity is the characteristic of the individual self. The Sūtraksiangal gives a brief discription of the various philosophical theories and intellectual activity prevailing at that time. The Kriyavadins said that individual is responsible for his actions, good or bad. There were the Akriyavadins who believed that activity is not relevant for the good or the bad of the individual. There is neither God nor devil, neither heaven nor hell, neither papa nor punya. All activities are bereft of the good or bad results. There was the Aj nanavadin who claimed to say that knowledge is not possible and the nature of truth is unknowable. These may be considered as Agnostics. There were then the Vinayavadins who also claimed that knowledge cannot be easily analysed. Numerous names have been associated with these theories. For instance, Pūranakas yapa advocated akriyavada. Mokkhala Gosala presented his views of thoughtless and motiveless malignity of all activity. AjitaKesa Kambalin stoutly refuted the possibility of any effects of action, good or bad. Sutanipata, the Buddhist work, has described sixty three different schools of S ramana thought prevailing in the 6th century B.C.trying to assert themselves at that time. The prevelance of the numerous schools of philosophical thought created intellectual confusion in