ACHARYA KUNDAKUNDA'S CONTRIBUTION TO JAINA PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION: A CRITICAL APPRAISAL

Abstract

Jainism is one of the oldest non-Vedic living religions in India and it is well known as the religion of non-violence. The Jainas follow the teachings of twenty-four Tirthankaras or enlightened spiritual teachers. The Tirthankaras are the teacher-saints who are known to have accomplished the highest spiritual goal of existence and then taught their contemporaries the way to reach it, by crossing over to the state of spiritual purity. It is a common misconception among people, that Jaina religion was first propounded by Lord Mahavira. But the truth is that Jainism existed long before Lord Mahavira was born; he was one of the chief proponents and rejuvenators of Jaina religion. Some historians are of the view that Mahavira was a contemporary of the Buddha and the reformed Jainism and gave it better exposure. The probable date ascribed to the foundation of the organized form of Jainism is sometimes between the 9th and 6th century B.C. and like several traditions in Hinduism, Jainism may have perhaps had its roots in the Indus Valley Civilization. Like Buddhism, Jainism too was in part a protest movement against Brahmanical traditions. Jaina's philosophy may be called a philosophy of moral self-control. The pre-eminence of non-violence stands contrary to any practice, which has even a little contact with killing innocent birds and animals. The Jainas did not accept the supremacy and teachings of the Vedas. They did not fight out of aggression of economic greed but as defenders of religion, they hold ethics in the highest regard. The Jainas admit perception, inference, and testimony as sources of valid knowledge. The means of knowledge are divided into two, direct and indirect. Perception reveals the reality of material substances. Inference implies belief in space because material substances must exist somewhere else. Perception as well as inference proves the existence of souls in all living bodies.