Dr. Samani Mangal Pragya
Jain philosophy accepts indepedent existense of both the living being/soul and matter.[1] Furthermore, existence of infinite souls is also accepted who have their own individual existence. They are not part of any ultimate reality. Even after acceptance of the multiplicity of soul, Ācārāṅga still establishes non-duality of the soul, within the context of non- violence. It wants to establish non-violence universally and eternally, by providing unison between the killer and the killed. Cruelty never targets one's own self, but it targets towards others. When nobody other than the self is there, feeling of cruelty can not emerge. The person whom you intend to kill is none-other than yourself.[2] And therefore, do you not actually kill yourself, while you think, you are killing somebody else?' Where, there is a feeling of duality there occurs exploitation and killing. Therefore, in the Ācārāṅga, an instruction is given for non-duality, that is the nature of one self. From a synthetic approach, the non-duality is also real.
In the Jain āgamas, there is an equal emphasis on both, the soul's purification and the purification of life. Practice of non-violence is required for the soul's purification as well as for balanced development of society. The society in which unnecessarily mutual torturing, beating, hurting etc. takes place will have reign of terror, stress and conflicting problems. Ācārāṅga is aware of this reality. It wants to promote harmonious situation amongst the humans. The following statement of the Ācārāṅga, is evident of this fact.
You are indeed he, whom you intend to govern.
You are indeed he, whom you intend to torture.
You are indeed he, whom you intend to enslave.
You are indeed he, whom you intend to kill.[3]
Ācārāṅga advocates removing misconduct and evil practices in the contemporary society. In ancient times, there was a tradition of slavery, which the Ācārāṅga did not consider appropriate. Its statements are against that system. Thus, it implies that such statements of Ācārāṅga point towards behavioural purification.
Rightness of knowledge precedes right conduct. If thoughts are not appropriate, then enlightened conduct cannot be imagined. In the sequence of means of freedom from bondage, importance of right knowledge precedes right conduct.
samyag darśana-jñāna-cāritrāṇi mokṣamārgaḥ.[4]
Right faith, right knowledge and right conduct are the means of emancipation. Conduct can become a helping aid to solve problems only when it is based on the right knowledge. Conduct preached by Lord Mahavira was soul centered or spirituality centered, so even in this present era it has its relevance. Solutions for many of the problems can be found in the ethical doctrines preached by Lord Mahavira. Maxims of conduct such as disarmament, vow of voluntary restriction over the desire for possession, vow of limitation of consumption and repeated consumption of things, nonviolence, non- absolutism etc. are potent enough to solve the problems of war, violence, abstinence, economical disparity etc.
Truth is eternal. It is relevant forever. The conduct propounded in the Jain āgam as has eternal value, hence, it is potent enough to fulfil the expectations of all the times.
