Swaroop Sambodhan ( True nature of Self )

Note : Acharya Akalanka Dev was renowned scholar of 8^th century for his elucidation of Jainism with philosophical and Logical creations. Here within 25 small verses he has explained the entire theory of practising Jainism leading to salvation. An attempt has been made here to translate the same in simple English. However the key words are unchanged.

1. Those who have disassociated themselves from karmas and are associated with knowledge etc and  have oneness with their own nature , I bow to such  parmatma having permanent unexpendable  knowledge.

Meaning : The author Bhatt Akalankdev starts the Swaroop Sambodhan by paying obeisance to the Parmatma the Lord . Here the characteristics of the Parmatma are described to identify them. Firstly they have destroyed all karmic influences and have revealed their own nature of knowledge, bliss, seeing etc. Further this nature is permanent and will never be destroyed or reduced. The author bows in reverence to such embodiment of knowledge.

      By making such composition, the author confirms that the Lord is also Parmatma from beginingless time which he became by destroying  karmas. Secondly he states that karmas can be destroyed and the soul need not remain tied to them for ever. Thirdly he describes the characteristics of the liberated soul having knowledge , bliss etc which rejects the hypothesis of Naiyayiks and Vaisheshiks that the soul is different from knowledge. Fourthly by saying that the nature is permanent , it rejects the assertion of Buddhists that the soul is non existent or transitory. He also confirms that the soul is not less than or more than knowledge by calling soul as embodiment of knowledge and thus they are one and the same.

2.      Such soul which is of the nature of upayoga , is of the nature of sequential cause and effect ; has the capability to accept/grasp as well as reject , is beginingless as well as endless, has the characteristics of generation, destruction and permanence.

Meaning : Here the characteristics of the soul are described both in liberated and unliberated form.

The soul is of the nature of Upayoga and also of the nature of sequential cause and effect. He can be sensed to be present in practical sense by others due to his breathing or movements, while in real view he can be sensed by himself by his own pure contemplation of the self in nirvikalpa  form. In this way the soul can be grasped. On the other hand the soul never accepts the  dravya, guna and paryayas of others and thus has the capability to reject. It can also be said that  he accepts his future manifestations ( paryayas) while he discards his past manifestations which are never accepted again. Hence in this way he accepts and discards both.

            Further that soul is without beginning or an end. The proof of dravya  is existence and since non existent is never born and the existent is never destroyed hence the soul is ever existent. Further the characteristics of soul are of the nature of generation , destruction and permanence.   

3.      That soul is of the type of an inert object due to the properties of prameyatva i.e. knowability etc. It is also of the type of life object due to  its knowledge and sense capability ; and therefore is dual inert as well as life form.

Meaning :  In answer to a question that whether the soul is only consciousness alone or it has other qualities also, this verse is composed wherein it is stated that even though the soul is of conscious nature, it has various qualities as follows.

            The soul is not conscious nature when it is considered from the aspect of knowability ( prameyatva ) etc. Any object of knowledge has the quality of knowability or prameyatva. The other such qualities are  astitva(existence), vastutva, agurulaghutva, pradeshatva etc which are non conscious nature.

            But soul is not non conscious alone since it is conscious also. This is so from the qualities of knowing and seeing. Hence the soul is not purely conscious or non conscious alone. It has dual nature. This is the characteristics of anekant which permits duality of opposite nature in the same object.

4.      That soul is not ( altogether) different from knowledge , nor is ( altogether ) same as knowledge ; in certain aspects it is different and  in certain aspects it is the same. In this way, the combined knowledge   of all the past and future knowing manifestations is the soul.

Meaning : In reply to a query whether the soul is altogether different from knowledge or same as knowledge  or if neither is true then what is its form , this verse states the anekant view and rejects a singular view as follows:

      The Omniscient has declared that the soul is the combined knowledge of all the past and future manifestations of knowledge. That soul is not altogether different from knowledge nor is it same. The soul is dravya while knowledge is guna or quality. There is always difference between dravya and its quality. But it is not different also. In the aspect of paryaya (manifestation), it is different. While dravya and guna do not exist separately hence they are same also.

5. That soul is equivalent to the body but is not same as the body altogether; it is equal to knowledge but not knowledge alone;  it is omniscient and existent in the entire universe but not altogether so. (Each statement is made in certain aspect only)

Meaning :  Now what is the extent of soul from dravya aspect is described in this verse.

The soul is equivalent to the body and it is knowledge also. But soul is not this alone. To the query  “Is it prevalent in the entire universe knowing all ?” the answer is given in following way .  When soul is not considered as equal to body or just knowledge alone , at that time it can be considered as prevalent in the entire universe knowing all. However it is not altogether prevalent in universe either. The soul does not go to all the objects to know them, nor does it occupy all the spaces of the universe. Hence there is no singular definition. From certain aspect he is equivalent to body , from certain aspect equal to knowledge ,from  certain aspect all knowing and from certain aspect prevalent in whole universe.

            It implies that under worldly form  , the soul is equivalent to body size ; however at the time of samudghat ( liberation process of Omniscient) , he is equivalent to size of entire universe  hence prevalent in entire universe. But he is not so at all times. In liberated state he is slightly smaller than the last body. Similarly, the soul does not go to each object of knowledge to know them, but due to their own property, the objects of knowledge are reflected in his knowledge just like a mirror.

6.      Due to the capability of having various knowledges it is several while with the nature of consciousness it is singular. Thus it is of the nature of one and many at the same time.

Meaning : To further clarify the query if the soul is singular or many, this verse answers.

That soul is is singular in certain aspects and many in other aspects hence is of the nature of one and many at the same time. Due to the presence of  infinite qualities and characteristics , it cannot be called as of one nature only. Due to manifestation in different forms , it is several also. The objects of knowledge are infinite which are reflected within his knowledge hence he is of the nature of infinite. With respect to consciousness he is one.

In this way with respect to dimension of time , in terms of its manifestations , and with respect to dimensions of space , the soul is described as one and many. Hence no singular definition applies.

7.      It is not indescribable with respect to its own nature but with respect to manifestations of others  it cannot be described. Hence it cannot be called singularly describable or indescribable.

Meaning:  A doubt arises that since the soul cannot be called as having singular or many natures, then it proves it to be indescribable. But even indescribability is not singular  in certain aspect , as addressed here.

The soul is not totally indescribable, it is describable also. With respect to its own existence in dravya form and its various qualities like knowledge bliss etc, and with respect to its various paryayas i.e. manifestations in terms of forms of human etc, he is describable.

On the other hand he is indescribable with respect to others’ manifestations, their qualities, forms  etc. 

It implies that the soul is neither describable nor indescribable.

If all the qualities are altogether indescribable then the preaching of following a certain path and rejecting wrong path , can also not be described. Total indescribability can be only due to incapability, ignorance or non existence. Since the first two are not possible then it has to be considered non existence only. Which means the existing object should be describable in some aspect.

8.      That soul is of the nature of existing in its own qualities while at the same time it is non existing with respect to qualities of others. Due to the quality of knowledge it has shape (since it takes the shape of object of knowledge ) but being different from other body etc , it is without form.

Meaning :  Now the quality of the soul in terms of its shape/ form are described here.

It is clarified that in the same object the duality of nature exists which may be contradictory. It is so because while with respect to own nature the qualities in the object are present, with respect to other object, the qualities are absent i.e. it does not adapt the qualities of others by discarding own qualities. This is clarified by means of an example. The soul has the form or shape by certain aspects. This is so, because the manifestation of consciousness in finite form of an object is the form or shape of the soul hence the soul  takes the form or shape of the object of knowledge.

On the other hand the soul is without form or shape; unlike those of pudgala objects which have finite shape or form.

9.      In this way the soul accepts and receives due to its variety of natures the various bondages, and fruits thereof including Moksha. (In short by his own nature soul itself enacts various karmas and enjoys their fruits and transmigrates and finally itself liberates himself.)

Meaning :  Thus the soul accepts the various qualities of the soul within itself along with its differences. Further is also accepts the states of bondage and Moksha within itself  by means of Asrava ( influx), samvar ( stoppage) , nirjara ( shedding ) and their respective reasons. Due to wrong belief, lack of control, passions and desires in conjunction with yoga, he accepts bondage . By practicing samvar in the form of controls , tapa etc and further by nirjara he accepts Moksha.

By his own nature ( without transgressing his own nature ) he accepts bondage , and again by his own efforts and nature he attains Moksha. This rejects the hypothesis of other Gods and other  objects assisting him to do so.

The soul only is responsible for the karmas and he alone is the enjoyer of their fruits and transmigration due to it. Finally he himself liberates himself by his own efforts.

10.  Whoever is the doer of karmas, he alone is the enjoyer of the fruits thereof; even so by means of internal and external efforts he can liberate himself.

Meaning :  The previous verse is further clarified here. Whichever soul is responsible for the bondage of Gyanavarniya etc eight type of karmas , he alone is the enjoyer of their resulting fruits of ignorance etc and none else. Thus the concept of Samkhyas  that Prakriti is responsible for the act and Purusha is the enjoyer of the fruits is rejected here.

Now , when such is the situation, how does the soul get liberated  since there is no recourse available except surrendering to karmachetna and karma phala chetna which are nothing but engaging self in acts and enjoying their fruits ? Here the answer is given. That soul alone can liberate himself from the dravya karma, bhava karma and nokarma and their fruits in the form of attachment, passions, desires , ignorance etc. That liberation is two types of efforts , internal and external. These efforts are  supported by right belief and knowledge hence they are of the nature of knowledge due to which there is no desire or attachment and are veetaraga in nature. Due to this there is no bondage and leads to liberation.

11.  The means for liberation are right belief, right knowledge and right conduct. Firm belief and interest in the pure nature of self is right belief.

12.   Contemplating upon the true nature of reality is right knowledge. This knowledge knows himself as well as others just as the lamp illuminates himself and others ; and this total knowledge  is different from the knowledge of objects in certain aspects.

13.   Contemplation and immersion of the self in the manifestations of knowledge and darshan ( belief ) , is right conduct. In other words , remaining with equanimity in the worldly happiness or unhappiness is right conduct.

14.   Or, I am only of the nature of knowing and seeing and during the experiences of happiness and unhappiness, I do not need any assistance ( nor anyone assist me); such contemplations and that of pure nature of self is right conduct.

Meaning (11-14 ) : Now the means of liberation are elaborated :

What are those internal and external efforts are being described here.

For the realisation of the pure liberated form , the means are right belief, knowledge and conduct.  Singly or two at a time also,  they do not form the means. All three combined form the means. Now what are these three  is told :

Right belief is the first and foremost of the requirements. The acceptance of the true nature of soul without any doubt is the right belief. The omniscient has described the nature of the seven types of elements like jiva, ajiva etc and by understanding and accepting them as they are without any uncertainty and hesitation is the right belief.

Understanding and knowing  the form of reality without any reservations or disbelief is the right knowledge. This knowledge not only knows the self , but also knows the other objects also. To a question that how does one knowledge know the self and others , the answer is given by the example of lamp. Just as lamp illuminates the self as well as other objects ( lamp does not require someone else to illuminate him )  , the knowledge knows the self and others. To a question that when right knowledge is a tool and the  right decision is a result in the form of bhavas ; then how can there be a common cause or support ( adhikaran) for both since they are same and hence how can the resulting knowledge be separated. This is answered by saying that the resulting knowledge in the form of removal of ignorance is different in certain aspects with respect to the means.

            What is conduct is defined. Not wavering from the goal is conduct. What type of wavering ? From the right belief and right knowledge manifestations. Remaining firm in the manifestations of these by following the ten types of rules of right knowledge and discarding the objects of senses and mind and remaining firm in the self is conduct.

Or  otherwise, remaining equanimeous under conditions of  good or the bad results of vedaniya karma under the influence of Moha  without having attachment or aversion towards these results is conduct.

Or in the third way , under the fruits of satavedaniya which gives happiness and asatavedaniya which gives unhappiness, I am knower and observer alone . Due to the nature of consciousness, I am different from these fruits of happiness and unhappiness and I am only of the nature of their knower and observer. Due to the nature of dravya manifesting in that special form , in spite of experiencing those bhavas, I am only knower and observer but not the doer of those bhavas.

15.  Complimentary to these internal reasons , the supporting causes  such as country, time, tapa ( austerity ) etc are called external reasons.

Meaning :  the internal causes are the realisation of self in the form of samvar and nirjara and resultant pure form of self. For these the external means are described here. The country, time and other penances are the external means and dependent on external situations and thus are external means.

16.  In this way , by observing reality from all sides and with equanimity towards all favorable or unfavorable situations , one should always contemplate upon the pure soul devoid of attachment and animosity.

Meaning : By knowing the reality what should be done ? It is answered here.

Again and again one should contemplate. How long ?  Always. Who should be contemplated upon ? The soul . Which soul  should be contemplated upon ? The soul without any attachment or aversion . How should it be done ? With all possible capability. When  ? In  favorable as well as unfavorable situations. How should it be done ? By contemplating all aspects of it, the soul should be analysed. Not just contemplation, but to manifest in that form , all internal and external efforts should also be made.

17.  Just as one cannot dye  the blue colour cloth to orange colour ; in the same way it is not possible to reflect upon the true nature of soul when the mind is corrupted with attachment/animosity.

Meaning :  How should one reflect upon the soul, is answered with example.

Mind and the corresponding srutagyan does not accept , and in a sense the soul does not accept being not different from mind in certain aspects. Which mind ?  The corrupted or the polluted mind does not accept. Polluted due to what ? Polluted due to attachment, aversion, moha , anger etc , the mind cannot attain equanimity and thus the reflection of the soul. This is given by example.

Just as blue coloured cloth cannot be dyed orange , in the same way , so long as the mind is corrupted with thoughts of passions and kashayas, the  mind is incapable of realisation of the pure nature of the self. Hence the right believer should always attempt to get rid of these polluting thoughts.

18.  Therefore to rid yourself of the defects , you should become totally detached from all and by taking recourse to isolation , engage yourself in contemplation of  true nature of soul.

Meaning:  Therefore just as one cannot dye the blue cloth with orange colour, in the same way without discarding the thoughts of attachment, aversion and desire, one cannot reflect upon the true nature of soul. Hence the bhavya jiva is asked to discard all thoughts of  happiness, unhappiness and vikalpas internally and externally. Thereafter he should immerse himself in reflection of the true nature of soul with a singular goal and remain firm there. He should have total detachment with respect to all internal and external corrupting thoughts. Thus he should attempt to enter apramatta( perturbation free) state of samadhi.

19.  By knowing the true nature of matter and identifying the beneficial from non beneficial, you should discard the recourse of external objects and orient towards contemplation of own nature which is beneficial.

Meaning : In another way the duty is described as follows:

The elements are of two types. One is discardable or unworthy while other is worthy and should be cherished. By discarding the unworthy elements, one should take shelter of the cherishable elements. Thereafter by gradually improving the purity and  contemplating upon purer and purer form of the cherishable elements, one immerses into the contemplation of pure blissful self in stationary form and the external elements are totally discarded. Thus only blissful self remains and one attains the self.

20.  You should reflect upon the nature of the self and others by pondering about their qualities , which will enhance your detachment and lead to liberation on reaching totality.

Meaning : In another way also it is stated :

O Bhavya ! Contemplate again and again. Of whom ? The nature of reality. How ? By thinking of their form and qualities. How is the reality ? The conscious self is myself which is cherishable and all others conscious or non conscious entities are other than myself and are discardable. What will be achieved ? The liberated state of purity in pure self form. When ? By discarding the attachments and reflecting again and again the nature of self , by peaking in that mode, reaching pure realisation , you will attain Moksha.

            It means that one should not have attachment towards other objects and should be treated as object of knowledge alone and known such with equanimity. Not only this should be believed and known, it should be contemplated again and again to strengthen the thoughts. This will lead to total detachment towards all external objects. By peaking upon such detachment, you will be able to liberate your self.

21.  Although pure nature of soul is the goal , even then the thirst  to achieve same should not be there  ; because so long as the desire is there the liberation cannot be achieved.

Meaning : Even though the realisation of true nature of self is the goal, the desire for achieving should not be there since so long as the thirst for the same is there , the detachment is absent and therefore the liberation cannot be achieved.

22.  The one who does not desire even the liberation , only achieves liberation. This being true , true seer  should not desire even the Moksha.

Meaning : Hence one should not worry about even Moksha because it cannot be attained by desiring . The absence of desires and attachment alone is Moksha. Hence one should not have any attachment towards any external , internal entities other than self. This is stated by the omniscient. What is the statement ? One attains liberation from all karmas and realises blissful self in Moksha form by discarding attachment even for Moksha. It is clear that  for such a person the desires of fruits of punya karma in the form of worldly riches are discarded long way behind.

            Without attaining pure detached state , with the assistance of contemplation in nirvikalpa form , no sage can destroy all karmas and attain pure blissful self. Hence one has to discard all desire causing elements.

23.   Such detachment is attained by establishing oneness with the self. If you realise this , then you will definitely make the effort to attain the same o brother.

Meaning : The detachment is advised in another way :

Due to the presence of Moha and its fruits , the unnatural form of self in the form of desires is ever present and keep indulging in them. These desires do not get destroyed easily and so long as they are present, the world is full of unhappiness. To destroy this unhappiness, and attain blissful , peaceful self, the desires should be reflected upon as object of knowledge  and absence of desires should be contemplated as the nature of self.

24.  Realise the difference between the self and the others , but even there give up the contemplation  of differentiation and immerse yourself in the own conscious self.

Meaning : To attain peak of the detachment towards external objects , the pure self element should be known as different from all other elements. Then this knowledge should be reflected upon again and again. Further this differentiating knowledge of others with self is also discarded. Thus after discarding all vikalpas of differentiation, between self and others, one should immerse his upayoga within his own nature and remain stationary. Which type of nature ? It is devoid of others, thoughts, contemplations, reflections, which is unperturbed and blissful.

25.  This soul himself, for himself, by himself, with himself, of himself, by contemplation of himself, generates within himself, the permanent blissful state.

Meaning : Thus this soul attains the state of blissful nature which is never before realised, peaceful and enjoyable and permanent. Thus by discarding all external activities of consciousness and focusing it within the soul, it is attained. That soul is ever peaceful, perturbation free,  blissful. This is carried out by the tool of the self , for the self by the self. Thus all the predicates are applied within the self.

26.  In this way , by contemplating upon the true nature of the self , if one studies the 25 verses based swaroop sambodhan  with right understanding, then for him this scripture provides him highest benefit. That is to say that by contemplating upon the true nature of the self described here, one can realise those infinite qualities within him own manifestation.

Meaning : Thus this verse of name Swaroop sambodhan describes the true nature of the self and those who read and understand it and practice it by implementing on the self can attain blissful self. 

Two stories from Prathamanuyoga -I

Jain scriptures have been classified into four distinct categories: 1. Prathamanuyoga or the mythological 2. Dravyanuyoga or the spiritual  3. Karananuyoga or the mathematical and 4. Charananuyoga or the conduct/practical. The classification is very effective and purposeful. While Prathamanuyoga does not claim to be a true record of the events in historical sense, it provides a gist of the events in mythological manner. What is heartening is that even the stories don’t fail to leave a message behind without contradictions as may be seen in other religion’s scriptures. The characters described serve the purpose of providing a role model for one to emulate and also teach  us how to handle various situations in life .

From the vast resources of Jain mythology, I have chosen two stories which are quite close to my heart since they carried very distinct and important messages.

Story I : The demolition of Bharat’s pride

Bharat was the son of first Tirthankar Adinath belonging to the current cycle of kalpa kala , wherein Mahavir is the 24^th Tirthankara. He also became the first Chakravarty king of this kalpa kala by winning over all the six continents of Bharat Kshetra to which we belong. Once he completed his victory march , he decided to visit Vrishabh Giri  mountain for recording his victory. Now this Vrishabh Giri mountain is a very special mountain wherein all the Chakravarty kings record their victory by engraving their names on the mountain. From time immemorial all the Chakravarty kings have been recording their names on this mountain. For your information , in each kalpa kala cycle there are two half cycles of avasarpini and utsarpini kala in which 12 chakravarty kings are born in each half, just as 24 Tirthankaras are born in each half. So king Bharat was the first of the Chakravarty king out of the 12 for the existing Avasarpini kala. Hence he decided to record his feat on the Vrishabh Giri mountain as per the custom.

He proceeded with his mighty army to the Vrishabh Giri mountain. Upon reaching he ordered his ministers to engrave the name of the king Bharat as the first Chakravarty king. The ministers climbed the mountain to find a suitable spot. After some time they returned to the king with an incredulous face. Bharat asked them if they have completed the task. “ O Lord! We failed to find a place on the mountain to engrave your name , since the entire mountain is filled with engraved names. “ King Bharat was equally shocked and he himself went to the mountain to ascertain this. He did not  know what to do. He was shocked to know that so many Chakravarty kings had been born prior to him who have recorded their victory on the Vrishabh Giri mountain.

Ultimately he decided to record his victory by deleting the name of one of the earlier kings, and he ordered accordingly.  The ministers proceeded to do the same. At that moment he realized one more thing. Just as he has obliterated the name of one of the earlier king and engraved his own name, one day another king will come and do the same for his own name. So even though the Vrishabh Giri mountain was meant for keeping eternal record, it was not so eternal after all. It not only meant that the names recorded on the Vrishabh Giri mountain were not the complete record of all the Chakravarty kings but just a sample of it. The actual numbers may be far larger than what is seen. Considering the vast numbers which are engraved and even more numbers which might have been deleted , what is the value then of his achievement ? He, who was so thrilled in achieving this great feat of becoming Chakravarty king , was really a nobody after all. With all his pride demolished in this manner he returned back to his kingdom as a sober man.

Moral of the story :  Have we not faced a similar situation in life ? Do we not see politicians, sportsmen, actors etc proudly occupy the top citadel at sometime or other, only to be replaced by somebody else. So what was it that they were being so proud of ?  How long it lasted ? It only demonstrates the flimsiness of the achievements and establishes that nothing is permanent. So what to do ? It definitely is not worthwhile to hanker for these goals in life. The goal of life should be permanent from which nobody can replace you. There is only one such goal for all mankind i.e. Sidhhahood. All other goals are transient . Only Siddhas are eternal.

Story II : The burning of Dwaraka and destiny

Dwaraka was the kingdom of  Krishna and Baldev who were belonging to the Yadav clan ruling the western India. Their’s was a highly successful empire with people having riches and pleasures. The Dwaraka itself was magnificently constructed by Kuber who is supposed to be one of the Devas. Twenty second Tirthankara Neminatha belonged to the same time. Baldev asked Lord Neminath about the future of Dwaraka during one of his sermons , and about self and Krishna. In the divine voice he answered that after twelve years Dwaraka will be destroyed due to the effect of liquor by Dweepayan ( his uncle)with his anger.  Jaratkumar (his cousin) will be responsible for the death of Krishna and that death will be the cause for Baldev to denounce the world and become muni.

This revelation came as a shock to all concerned since they also knew that once so ordained by the omniscient , it cannot be wrong. However being humans they tried to prevent this tragedy in their own way. Baldev’s uncle Dweepayan took sanyaas and went away to the mountains to do penance. Since liquor was foretold to be cause of the destruction, all the liquor from Dwaraka was sieged and thrown away in the forest outside Dwaraka. Jaratkumar left the town and started roaming the forest to avoid being cause of Krishna’s death. Thus everything possible was done to avoid tragedy of Dwaraka. Twelve years passed.

After twelve years Dweepayan muni decided to return to see if Dwaraka is in tact and if they have foiled the prediction of Lord Neminatha. Actually his calculation was wrong and twelve years were not over yet. Mistakenly he came towards Dwaraka before twelve years. Meanwhile the youngsters of Dwaraka came to the forest for a picnic and adventures after which they were very thirsty. When they searched for water, they found the liquor thrown in the ponds of the forest which had become even more potent in all these years. They drank it and became inebriated and started fighting amongst themselves. Just then they saw Muni Dweepayan approaching them. They recognized him started ridiculing him as the destroyer of Dwaraka. “We will not let him reach Dwaraka “ thus saying they attacked him with stones and wounded him seriously. Muni Dwaraka lost his temper and ultimately vowed to burn Dwaraka down. He only allowed Krishna and Baldev to escape the holocaust. All others and the city were destroyed.

                Krishna and Baldev were very sorry for the destruction of Dwaraka and decided to go to Pandavas who were their relatives. In the forest Krishna felt very weak with thirst and he requested brother Baldev to bring some water. Baldev went in search of water while Krishna rested under a tree. Meanwhile Jaratkumar happened to be roaming there in the forest. He mistook  the movement of Krishna’s garments in the wind as the presence of some animal and  shot an arrow at his toe. That arrow was the cause of death of Krishna. Thus fulfilled the prophecy of Tirthankara Neminath.

Moral of the story : This story is one of the proofs of the omniscient nature of the Tirthankara who knows all the present past and future at the same time. Some people think that omniscient cannot know the future but that is incorrect. From  several scriptures his omniscient nature can be established. They think that if he knows everything then we cannot change anything, then what is there for us to do ? The truth is that he only knows but even he cannot change anything. If we are destined to achieve Moksha then even he cannot prevent it , but it will be in his knowledge. This just establishes the destiny. But it also does not mean that effort will not be made. In this story the beautiful part is that the knowledge of the destiny of Dwaraka itself became the cause of its destruction. Dweepayan left the town to become Muni . The liquor was thrown in the forest to be available to the youngsters when the time came. Thus all their efforts to prevent the tragedy itself became cause for the tragedy. It proves the truth that destiny cannot be averted whether you know it or not. The moral would be that you should do what is best for you without worrying about the future. After all the time is short and even Dwaraka could not survive nor could Krishna. 

Understanding Religion in the Simplest Manner

The goal of most religions is self realization because it is the soul  which has been lost for so long and has to be discovered. It is the technique for  the same which differs from one religion to other.

 

What exactly is self realisation ?  Simply speaking it is that  state of the self in which one can stay 24x7 once it has been realised. Because if one is experiencing happiness and bliss then why would one want to come out of it ? This is precisely what Jain  Tirthankaras experienced. However at lower levels, process starts by experiencing self as different from all others.

 

First of all, self cannot be experienced through anger, deceit, greed or pride  etc. One can attempt being angry as much or as strongly as he wishes , he will find that it takes him away from his own self as far as possible but nowhere near the self. This is so because these emotions are non self , dependent on others , not belonging to own nature. So one has to  disown  them altogether to realize himself.

 

Practices of fasting, praying  or  pilgrimages cannot help in experiencing the soul since  each of these are foreign to the nature of soul. In reality they are activities of the body. The emotions experienced during these acts  will also fall within the bounds of pride , greed etc (although to a lesser degree)which truly keep him away from realizing the self.

 

Knowledge of the others also does not enable  experiencing the soul. Because  the moment that one is knowing any other object, he is not knowing the self. Therefore one can keep on knowing as many things as he wishes , he would still not know the self.

 

The soul is experienced by self by immersing in self. This is the only technique by which self can be realized  and known. One has to disown all other emotions and concentrate on knowing the self as the object of contemplation. It has been described as Dhyan , yoga by different religions. All claim to be successful also. So one has to decide which one is most efficient probably by the result one can achieve. After all the self realization should lead to eternal happiness and bliss. If one claims to achieve the same then they are welcome  to it.

 

In Jainism the entire scriptures are directly or indirectly leading to the technique of self realization. Self cannot be experienced without understanding the form and greatness of self. Definitely one cannot experience happiness if one’s object of contemplation is a sinner or a material object. Surely it leads to perturbation. Therefore Jainism firstly teaches the true nature of  the soul being the same as that of the omniscient  who has described it for the benefit of others. When one accepts his own nature being as magnificent as that of the god and tries to establish his oneness with the same then alone he can experience unwavering peace and tranquility within the self. This is something which is distinctly lacking in other religions. No one has described the process of purification of soul in the spiritual way , as well as classical mathematical manner as done by Jainism. Only by knowing the true nature of self , at the same time excluding the nature of others can one truly contemplate upon the self. While Samaysar describes the spiritual purity of the soul, Dhavla describes the journey of the soul when he climbs the ladder of spiritual growth identifying the milestones reached on the way and left behind. This is the only manner all those who have attained Moksha have travelled , and there is no other method, nor is there a shortcut. Although it is quite possible that one may traverse those steps in shortest time while others may take thousands of years.

Moksha is the unification of soul with its own nature of pure belief, pure knowledge with utmost stability.

 

 

Then there is nothing further left to achieve.