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TULSI-PRAJNA, July-Sept., 1991
intention in mind. He should speak sweet words and do good work with his body. Self is free and competent to do so. Self is the real cause of sorrow and joy. It is clearly pointed out in the Uttaradhyayanasūtta that
'Appā kattä vikattā ya duhāņa ya suhāņa ya / Appā mittamamittam ca duppațțbia supațțiho Il
(My own self is the doer and undoer of misery and happiness, my own self is friend and foe, according to as I act well or badly).71
From the propounding of Jaipa karma theory it has become very clear that self is the only centre of good and evil action. Basically self is the centre of infinite powers. Knowledge and consciousness are its basic qualities. But the veil of Karmas hides its pure form. Jaina ethics affirms that the ultimate goal of a person should be to attain this pure form of the self. Then this self becomes absolute. According to Jaina philosophy the power of manifestation of self into absolute is in the man itself, because man has wish, determination and intellect. Therefore, he can act independently. Thus the main originator of worldly process and spiritual advancement is none but man himself. nccording to the Jaina view, all the souls stand alike potentially. They gave ine quality to become absolute but these qualities can be fully attained in human life alone, because self-control and virtuous actions are possible in human life only. Thus whatever elevation has been given to mankind by Jaina ethics is superb. In other words, “Only man is capable of unfolding his potential attributes perfectly. To express it differently, though every soul is potentially divine, yet the attainment of freedom is rendered possible only when the soul achieves a human form : hence the importance of human birth."18
Because of this excellence of man in Jaipa religion the God having all worldly powers becomes quite unimportant. According to Jaina view no one can ever become God who has any desire left like creation or destruction of the world. It is out of the reach of any superman that it can change the form of any matter and can cause joy or sorrow to any person, because each matter is qualitative and independent, Nature functions in its own way. It is guided by its own rules. A person gets joy and sorrow according to his acts and potential power. Therefore, Jaina ethics negates that type of existence of God, which Prophet Mohammad has in Islam and Jesus Christ has in Christian religion. The all-powerful God of Hindu religion is also not accepted by Jaipa religion because it encroaches the liberty and potential power of man.19
Like the Jaina the Sāṁkhya philosophers have also accepted the denial of the role played by the God in the creation of the world. Even
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