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According
to Jainism, the divinity is associated with the revelation of the
Moksha Marga or path of salvation. Aptha or the Lord is the one who
reveals the Moksha marga or the path of salvation for the benefit of
mankind. Out of love and mercy to the suffering multitude in samsara,
the Lord reveals Moksha marga or the path of liberation. What is the
nature of the divine personality who is thus actuated by Universal
love and mercy in revealing the Moksha marga? What are his
qualifications to adopt this divine mission? He must be an
Omniscient being; space and time have no limitation to his
knowledge. This infinite knowledge he acquires by an elaborate
process of Yoga or spiritual discipline. By the practice of Yoga and
developing Dhyana or contemplation on the pure self, he is able to
destroy all the bondage due to Karmas. So long as his pure self is
hidden by dense cloud of Karma, its brilliance and its true nature
is completely hidden. When the karmic bondage is broken by Thapas or
Yoga, the cloud that hides the intrinsic brilliance and purity of
the self is dispersed. Then the pure self shines forth in all its
brilliance, which is in the form of infinite knowledge. Then, the
divine personality becomes the All Knowing, Sarvagya. In different
periods of world’s history, such divine persons appear on the
stage. They revive the Dharma. They reveal the path of salvation to
people submerged in Samsara who out of ignorance revel in sensual
pleasures. The divine personality who after destroying the Karmic
bondage obtains infinite knowledge does not quit the worlds
satisfied with his personal achievement. On the other hand, he
spends the rest of his life in teaching the people truth, which he
realised; he devotes his tie and energy going from place to place
inspiring people to turn to the right path so that they may save
themselves ultimately. This period of his life is called
Dharmaprabhavana, propounding the Dharma to men and women. Such a
divine personality, who after destroying the Karmas obtains Omni
science and is engaged in preaching Dharma leading the people in the
path of salvation, is considered Aptha or the divine Lord by
the Jains. He is worshipped by then as God: -
Moksha margasya netharam
Bhetharam
karma bhubrutham
Gnyatharm
visva thathvanam
Vande thatguna
labdhaye.
This
is the adoration of God expressed by one of the great Jain saints.
Him
who is the leader in the path of salvation
Him
who destroys the huge mountain of Karmas
Him
whose knowledge apprehends the whole of reality
I
worship with the object of obtaining similar qualities for myself.
Such divine personalities are called Thirthankaras by
the Jains. After performing the merciful duties of preaching the
Dharma to the people, this divine person quits the body and becomes
pure self of Paramathma. While the attains the Paramathmasvrupa or Nirvana, he is called
Siddha. When the self attains
its pure nature and is completely liberated from all bonds of Karma,
he becomes Siddha or the perfect self.
This
conception of divinity according to Jainas is quite different from
the gods conceived by the other faiths. The conception of gods
according to puranic Hinduism pictures divinity as an existing human
being with all the foibles characteristics of an ordinary human
being. He has got the qualities and the weakness of ordinary human
personality to an exaggerated extent. He is conceived as a great
householder with wife and children and concubines actuated by
emotions, anger and hatred while exhibiting intense affection
towards the kith and kin. Such a conception of divinity is rejected
by the Jains because it is not in conformity with their conception
so spiritual purity and perfection. Because Jaina thinkers rejected
such popular conception of divinity, Hindu writers on religion
accuse the Jains of being irreligious and atheistic. But judged from
the higher philosophical standpoint of Sankara or Ramanuja, the
Jaina conception of divinity is not far different from Sankara’s
Paramathma or Parabrahma. The only difference between the Jaina and
thinkers and the other Hindu thinkers is this: The Hindu thinkers
while postulating the higher spiritual ideal of Paramathma also
accommodate the popular deities in their pantheon while the Jaina
thinkers completely reject such a compromise as an entirely
inconsistent with the higher spiritual ideal.
The popular religion of Jainas.
The
above account of god-hood is according to Jaina philosophy. The
ultimate reality of Siddhahood is transcendental. It is described as
Arupi – having no from. Contemplating such a spiritual
ideal is not within the reach of the imagination of the ordinary
people. They want something more concrete to influence their life
and conduct. Mere Philosophy and logic cannot influence the of the
common man for the simple reason that he cannot understand such an
ideal. From the very early days, Jainism has presented to the
ordinary man the godhood represented the idol of Thirthankara
– the Lord who revealed the path of salvation and who provided the
ferry for crossing the ocean of Samsara actuated by love and
sympathy for making; he lived among the people preaching the Dharma
though he himself attains the goal of the life. It is this ideal of
religion which can be easily comprehended by the common man. Temples
are built and images of such Thirthankaras are installed therein for
the people to worship. Probably, the Jainas were the earliest to
build temples and to install idols representing the Thirthankaras.
Vedic
religion of early Aryans were not associated with temple worship.
Hence, they did not trouble them selves to build temples for their
gods. Their religious life was entirely associated with the Yoga
ceremony and sacrifice. Sacrificial ritualism only requires a
Yagasala. This Yagasala is prepared for the time being. Yagakunda is
the place where they kindle the fire. The offerings to various gods
are poured into the fire so kindled because they believed that fire
would carry these offerings to the respective gods to whom they were
intended. When the ceremony is over, the Yagasala prepared for the
occasion will be of no use thereafter. The gods conceived by the
Vedic Aryans are the impersonal natural elements, which were
normally perceived by the ordinary man around him. They did not
require a symbolism to represent their concept of divinity. Hence,
they did not indulge in building temples and installing idols
representing the gods.
After
the Nirvana of Goutama Buddha, the disciples of Buddha constructed
places of worship in the form of Stapes a superstructure built over
some relic of Buddha. Later on, they introduced the image of Buddha
to worship by the Buddhist ascetics and laymen. But the early Jainas
who considered the Thirthankara the Lord worthy of worship or Arhanta
even while he was living in their midst, flocked round him
worshipping him with flowers and singing hymns in praise of God.
Jina the conqueror then disappeared from their midst leaving the
body behind and assuming the pure spiritual nature of Siddhahood.
The worshippers of the Lord naturally set up image of the Lord who
was no more with them and continued their religious offerings before
this representation. Temple worship is therefore the logical result
of the Jaina conception of godhood. The image installed in the
temple being the representation of the Omniscient Lord or Arhanta,
it is of the shape of a man engaged in yogic contemplation either
sitting or standing. This representation of human personality
naturally avoids and abnormal or mythic ideas.
Jaina
sacred literature describes how such a representation of the
earliest Thirthankara Lord Rishabha was installed in a temple in
Mount Kailas built by the emperor Bharatha the son Lord Rishabha.
Then the historic period during the third century B.C., emperor
Kharavella who was ruling over Kalinga built a temple and installed
the idol of Lord Rishabha in his capital Buvaneshwar. This is
narrated in an inscription found on the rock in Hathikumpha Hill. He
invaded Magada for the purpose of bringing back this idol of Lord
Rishabha which after victory, was brought back to his capital
Buvaneshwar. To witness the installation ceremony, several prince
went to the Capital City of Kalinga. The same inscription mentions
the Pandya king who was of Jaina faith went to Kalinga in his ship
to witness the religious ceremony of installing the idol of Lord
Rishabha. From this inscription, we may safely infer that about the
third century B.C., temple worship was common among the Jains. This
fact is further corroborated by various inscriptions found in Matra
dating back to even fifth century
B.C. The temples in South India and Deccan are all built by the
Pallava and Chalukya rulers of the Land. Most of these kings were
followers of Ahimsa faith. Hence as rulers owing allegiance to Jaina
faith, they built temples and installed idols representing the
Thirthankaras. This plan was adopted by later Puranic Hinduism,
which had sprung up in South India. Since Jaina society is divided
into Householders and Ascetics, the Jaina laymen who lived in cities
and villages had to adopt temple worship in order to promote
spiritual development. The ascetics who spent most of their times in
secluded places such as forests and mountain caves engaging themselves
in the practice of Yoga, did not find temple worship as a
necessary part of their religious life. But the laymen cannot be so indifferent
to the temple worship. They engage throughout the day in
their occupation either as an agriculturist or as trader in the
morning or in the evening. After completing his daily avocations, he
will go to the temple for the purpose of worship. This practice kept
up even now by the Jaina laymen. In the place they reside, whether a
village or town, there will a temple
for them to go worship.
Even
after the split of Jaina society into two sects -
Swethabras – the white robed an
Digambaras – the sky clad, this practice of temple worship
was kept up. The natural difference in their practice is the form of
idol in their respective temples. In a Digambara, the idol of
Thirthankara will be a nude form of man.
This represents the yogic contemplation after completely
renouncing all attachment to the world.
That must be the form of Arhanta
Parameshsthi when he attained Omniscience or infinite
knowledge, infinite perception, infinite power and infinite bliss.
But every Thirthankara according to Jaina tradition was born in a
royal family. He had the right to succeed as ruler. Before actually
inheriting the kingdom and ruling over it for some years,
he renounced his royal heritage. Then he choose the path of
ascetic and took the austerity of the practice of yoga before he
reached the goal of spiritual liberation. The Swethabras emphasises
the royal birth and hence they adore their idols in the temple with
gold, silver and precious stone befitting the royal dignity of his earlier life of Thirthankaras. There is a sub-sect of Swethabras called
Sthanakvasis. These Sthanakvasi Swethambra Jains do not practice
idol worships. Probably due to the influence of the Moghul rulers,
the Sthanakvasi Swethambra Jains are not in the habit of building temples and installing idols therein. They merely build a big prayer
hall. They go there to pray and contemplate upon spiritual quality
of the Thirthankaras. This represent the complete anti-thesis
towards temple worship.
Even we carefully examine these
different practices of worships, we have
to admit that they are not really in conflict with one one another.
Even the great Digambara Saint Sri Kunda who is held in reverence by
al the Jains clearly expressed the view that yogic Dhyana or
contemplating the pure self or Paramatma is the ultimate ideal of
religious life. But since common man is not capable of such an
ideal, the lesser and the more concrete from temple worship is prescribed
for him. Even the great Advaita philosopher Sankara
adopts the same point of view maintaining that the ultimate ideal to
aimed at every thinker is Paarmatma or Parabrahma. Sankara concedes
the right of the common man for a more concrete form of temple
worship. The common wants something, which he can understand and
appreciate. The abstract ideal of the yogi may not mean anything and
certainly will not influence his life. The common is therefore given
the right of the temple worship, which would certainly useful in
purifying his mind and promoting his ethical development, which is necessarily
the stepping-stone for higher spiritual discipline. In
this respect, the Vedantis, Jains and Buddhists – all the three
are agreed on this concession shown to the common man in promoting
the spiritual development.
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