Dr. Samani Mangal Pragya
The foundation of philosophical outlook is the concept of rebirth. There are four pillars of the concept of rebirth.
- Belief in soul
- Belief in the system of universe
- Belief in karma
- 4.Belief in kriyā (action)[1]
Lord Mahavira was a strong believer in the existence of soul. He emphasized on direct experience. He was aware of the fact that logically established statements can be refuted or contradicted by counter logical argumentations, but the truth experienced by the self can never be refuted by logical statements. That is why Lord has given importance to the realization of the truth. A knower of previous birth is actually a believer in the existence of the soul. He had no doubt in the existence of the soul. The believer in the eternal existence of the soul automatically believes in the concept of universe, karma and kriyā.
'As I am, the other beings are too' - belief in the existence of beings within this universe. Living and non-living beings comprise the universe. The believers of such theory are called as Universalists (lokavādī). One who believes in the concept of soul must also believe in the concept of universe. The memory of previous birth provides knowledge of the relationship between soul and matter. The soul moves in cardinal and intermediate directions only, due to its relation with karma. The material forms (karmas) are attracted by the soul itself. 'Soul has to experience the results of self-procured karmas - this is a belief of the karma theory. The relation between the soul and the karma rests on activity. The bondage of the karmic atoms with the soul continues until there are vibrations of attachment and aversion in the soul. Hence, the concept of karma is dependent on the concept of action.[2] The memory of previous births leads to the realization of these facts. When a person realizes the truth, his conduct becomes right.
Quest for the Genesis
All the basic Indian scriptures begin with a quest for the genesis. The Brahma Sūtra begins with a quest for the prime cause of the origination of universe- 'Athāto brahmajijñāsa.[3]' The Mīmānsā sūtra begins with the quest for duty as it quotes:
athāto dharmajijñāsa,…[4]
Sāmkhya philosophy begins with the ways of eliminating the causes of misery.[5] Similarly, Acārāṅga sūtra also opens up with the quest of the genesis of one's own self. Such as 'from where have I come' etc.[6] Ṛṣhi (composer) of Acārāṅga sūtra is not doubtful about the existence of rebirth. His indication is towards the ignorance prevailing regarding the existence of rebirth. He opines that many people do not even know whether their soul would undergo rebirth or not.
