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NAVA TATTVA : The Liberation
By Mr. Manubhai Doshi
Mukti or liberation is the last of the 9 fundamentals. It is also
known as Moksha, salvation or emancipation. Followers of almost all
religions usually have aspiration for gaining liberation but they
hardly have clear concept of that term. They have been told that
liberation is the abode of happiness. Many of them therefore imagine
that in the liberation stage they would forever get all types of
material comforts in abundance. Many of them think that by following
religion, they would please the Almighty who would graciously permit
them to abide in heaven, where they would get whatever they desire.
But what would happen if they somehow happen to displease Him? The
Almighty would then send them to hell. Isn't that? Therefore,
pleasing the Almighty does not serve the purpose of gaining the
happiness, because after a spell of so called happiness they have to
face misery and pain once again. Thus their longed for happiness
turns out to be a fiction.
This brings us face to face with the concept of God. Can there be a
God who would be pleased by worship and would therefore bestow wealth
and happiness on worshippers and who would harm the nonworshippers?
Such an entity can be a despotic ruler or a self centered man of
means or any one else, but not God. Being self centered or getting
pleased with praise is not a Godly virtue. Again, is it possible for
God or Almighty to create universe or anything else out of nothing
and destroy it, if He gets disgusted with it? The dispassionate
reply will be :No. Moreover, why should He create? If the reply
is :Out of free will, the question arises, :Why should He will it?.
Even if we admit His will and capacity to create, the question
arises, :Why he creates anything that is bad, ugly, wicked,
miserable, painful etc.? There are number of such questions that
would tend any intelligent person to think that there is something
wrong with the prevalent concept about Creator. Does it not look
like a myth? Can there not be a scientific, sensible concept?
At least 2500 years back, Jainism exploded this myth. It boldly
refused to believe in a Creator. Without the aid of present day
science, it proclaimed that nothing can be produced out of nothing
and the original substances or matter, as science would call it, is
indestructible. Every such substance exists of its own, with its own properties and would continue to exist in one form or another.
Whatever products that we come across, are merely transformations,
not creations. They are produced out of something, that existed
before. As we have seen in chapter 7, Jainism believes in six
original substances of which soul is the only conscious substance.
Jainism is therefore concerned with its well being and happiness. After carefully studying living organism, it came to the conclusion
that all living beings are embodied souls. Every soul is an
independent entity and has been undergoing embodiment after
embodiment as a result of bondage of Karma.
For its liberation therefore Jainism does not look for whim or favor
of an Almighty. Its concept of liberation is totally different and
is based on sound scientific principles. It lays down that all
material situations are compositions and no composition can last
forever. Our bodies too are compositions and are bound to decompose sooner or later. Material happiness is therefore a contradiction in
terms, because it is not real happiness that does not last forever. True happiness cannot be obtained from any external situation. That
happiness lies within the soul. Whatever phantom of happiness we
experience in life is due to the existence of soul within the body.
No dead body has ever experienced happiness or any other feeling. It
is not the property of physical body to experience anything.
Happiness is the inherent property of soul. This inherent happiness
does not manifest on account of physical and mental limitations
resulting from the bondage of Karma. Everlasting happiness can
manifest, when soul shakes off all its bondage.
For this purpose we studied the nature of soul, the bondage of Karmas
that obscure and obstruct the manifestation of its properties and how
to shake off the bondage. We saw that soul is a substance on its
own. Not being a composition, it is not subject to decomposition.
Therefore it is eternal and lasts forever. It acquires bondage on
account of Asrava of Karmas that can be eradicated by Samvar and Nirjara. This eradication
process has two stages, semifinal and
final. Semifinal stage is attained when delusion is totally
overcome and all Ghatiya or defiling Karmas are destroyed. This is
the state of omniscience or Kewaljnan. Such omniscient entity is
known as Arihant. After attaining Kewaljnan that entity may continue
to live, if He has still to undergo Ayu, Naam, Gotra and Vedaniya
Karmas. These four are Aghatiya Karmas that terminate with the
termination of the life span. For instance, Lord Mahavir lived for
30 years after attaining Kevaljnan.
With the termination of Aghatiya Karmas, soul attains ultimate
liberation. This is the final state which is known as the state of Siddha. Since the bondage stands finally erased, soul is forever
freed of embodiment and all other limitations. It is now pure
consciousness whose nature of infinite enlightenment and infinite
happiness manifests by itself, because there are no longer any
factors that obstruct or inhibit its full manifestation. Even a slight reflection of our routine experience would indicate that
desire is the root cause of all miseries, problems and unhappiness. In the unembodied state, there is no physical body and hence no
physical requirements. Similarly there is no apparatus like mind
that would desire anything. That desireless state is the blissful
state of liberation.
Every soul has sooner or later to undergo this process of erasing the
bondage of Karmas. Till then there is no end to the cycle of birth
and rebirth. Arihantas and Siddhas have set the models for our
purpose. They are therefore worshipped by aspirants. In common
parlance, they are Jain Gods. They do not bestow liberation or any
other favor on worshippers. Liberation is to be gained by one's own
efforts. Listening to the teachings of Arihantas, while they are
alive, would provide directions for attaining liberation. Devotion
to them and to Siddhas simply provides incentive to the aspirants to
strive for attainment of ultimate happiness. They therefore serve as
ideals for devotees.
Questions may arise: What would be the form and shape of the
liberated soul? Where would it stay, move, rest or sleep? "what
would it be doing? Answers are simple. Not being a physical entity,
it has no form; it does not move and does not need rest or sleep.
Being intangible, its shape is invisible; but the seers have stated
that its size would be equal to 2/3rd the size of the last
embodiment. Bondage of Karma was holding it. Now being freed of all
bondage it rises up in the space and stops at the top of Lokakash. That part of the space is known in Jain
terminology as Siddhashila,
the abode of liberated souls. Beyond that it is Alokakash where
there is no Dharmastikaya. So there is no movement beyond that
point. Liberated souls continually stay engrossed in their nature
of infinite awareness, infinite enlightenment, infinite energy and
infinite bliss. That state is irreversible and as such, it stays for
ever.
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Author :- Mr. Manubhai Doshi
Article from Nav Tatvas, Published by Indira Mansukhlal Doshi Memorial Trust
1992
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Mail to: Ahimsa Foundation
www.jainsamaj.org
R210204
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