Page Text
________________
( 57 ) countries, in different times, in different ways. No two solutions seem to be the same. This leads to the variety of beliefs and religions. The Jain Tirthankaras, the Kshatriya Rishis of ancient times, have also solved this question in the manner above-mentioned. They too have made an answer to the question. “What is I?" "What is this world?" They too have told us that the soul is eternal, the Karmans are eternal, the world is eternal. There is no creator. There is no destroyer. As the soul sows so does it reap. Our fate depends upon ourselves. And, gentlemen, this solution of the Tirthankaras appears to me one of the noblest. This seems to me to be full of the highest moral virtue. For why should we make our heaven depend upon the worship of God or His sons and deputies? Why should we not make it depend upon our own actions ? That God must be a peculiar God who is pleased only with our worshipping Him. We also do not accept God as a judge of our actions, for this gives rise to many objections, and places God in a very awkward position. We, Jains, entertain the highest ideal of God as Sar. vajna, eternal, all-blissful, &c. We do not regard him as acceptor of flattery, a being killing one and saving another, a being administering justice despoti. cally in proportion to the amount of flattery and worship. We do not regard him as a judge of our actions. Our God is the highest being, the highest standard for our copy, the highest ideal for our imitation. And that God is our own soul after it has attained Nirvana. We recognise man's soul God in
| SR No. | 011027 |
| Book Title | Lecture On Jainism |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Lala Banarasidas |
| Publisher | Anuvrat Samiti |
| Publication Year | 1902 |
| Total Pages | 391 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 14 MB |