Traverses on Less Trodden Path of Indian Philosophy and Religion

Author(s): Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 40

Umāsyāti's contribution to Indian Philosophy
31
of dharma (principle of motion) and adharma (principle of rest) are peculiar to Jainism alone. 11 Another important contribution of Umāsvāti is emphasis on faith, knowledge and action (conduct) in one's own life. 18 Different philosophical systems such as the Nyaya-Vaiseşika, the Sankhya, and the Vedāna give a prominent place to knowledge (jñana) whereas, the Yoga and the Buddhist systems attach great importance to the character or transition of knowledge into action. Umāsvāti emphasizes not merely knowledge and action, but incudes faith along with the two. Faith knowledge and conduct are said to be the ingredients of discipline that lead to freedom from karmic bondage. These are three gems and together constitute one path and are to be simultaneously pursued. If one is absent, the path of salvation is incomplete, 15 They are inseparably bound up and perfection of one goes with the perfection of the otber two. This is a positive contribution made by Umāsvāti. Again, the theory of karma, which is accepted by almost all the Indian systems is analysed in such a manner that it became peculiar to Jainism alone He, like other Indian thinkers, believes that emancipation is the ultimate aim of life. The empirical self from the beginningless past is under the malignant ipfiuence of passions occuring froin the association of Karmic matter. Passions, along with psycho-physical activities, attract fresh material particles which get trapsformed automatically into karmic particles and engender empirical bondage of the soul. So long as the soul is imprisoned in the body, it is subject to the shackles of the organism and is enmeshed in sordid karmic matter. As long as it is in the bondage of karma, it will never be free from the taint of misery and pain.14 Complete freedom can be obtained only by checking the continuous activity of mind, speech end body which is the cause of fresh inflow of Karmic matter to the soul and the elimination of the accumulated deposit of karmic force from the soul. Thus, libiration is deliverance of the soul from Karmic bondage. The place which liberated soul occupies is the peculiar problem to Jainism. Umāsvāti apswers by saying that a liberated soul goes vertically up to the top of loka, and remains there for ever. never entering the physical encasement for any reason whatsoever, 18 This problem is not faced by any other system.
Though, in certain respects, Umāsvāti maintains his own individuality and peculiarity of Jainism, it does not mean that Jainism has nothing in common with the other systems of thought it is true that there are certain subjects to which different degrees of attention have been paid by different Indian systems. Consequently that subject on which a special stress is laid by a particular system, comes to be known as its 11. T. S. II. I, 17.
12. T. S. I. 1. 13. Prasamarat iprakarana, 230. 14. Ibid., 30.
15. T. S., X. 5-6.