Jain Darshan Ka Adikal - Book Summary

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Jain Darshan ka Adikal" by Dalsukh Malvania, focusing on the foundational aspects of Jain philosophy as presented in the Ācārāṅga Sūtra:

The article "Jain Darshan ka Adikal" by Dalsukh Malvania delves into the earliest layers of Jain philosophy as found in the Ācārāṅga Sūtra, considered the most ancient Jain scripture. Malvania argues that to understand the foundational principles of Jainism, studying the Ācārāṅga is crucial. He notes that at this early stage, the concepts of "Navatattva" (nine realities) or "Saptatattva" (seven realities) were not yet firmly established, though their groundwork was being laid. The fundamental doctrine of "Pañcāstikāya" (five substances) or "Ṣaḍdravya" (six substances) is notably absent in the Ācārāṅga, suggesting that the focus initially was on the tattvas, and the astikāya/dravya theory evolved later.

Core Philosophical Tenets in Ācārāṅga:

Soul (Ātmavāda), Karma (Karmavāda), and the World (Lokavāda): Malvania highlights that the Ācārāṅga, in its initial sections, clarifies Lord Mahāvīra's stance amidst various contemporary philosophical views. Mahāvīra is presented as supporting "Ātmavāda" (soul-ism), "Karmavāda" (karma-ism), "Lokavāda" (world-ism), and "Kriyāvāda" (action-ism). The text establishes a strong correlation: believing in the transmigration of the soul (ātmavāda) implies a belief in karma (karmavāda), and vice versa. The Ācārāṅga emphasizes that understanding the existence and states of the soul before and after the present life is fundamental to being an ātmavādī, lokavādī, karmavādī, or kriyāvādī.
The Connection Between Ātmavāda/Karmavāda and Ethics (Ācāra): The ethical teachings in the Ācārāṅga are directly linked to the understanding of the soul and karma. The scripture states that as long as karma and the resultant "samārambha" (initiation of actions, often involving violence) exist, there is transmigration and suffering. Therefore, Mahāvīra's advice to renounce "karma samārambha" is presented as the path to liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
The Doctrine of Ahimsā (Non-Violence) and the Six Life-Forms (Ṣajkāyas): A central theme is the imperative of non-violence. The Ācārāṅga, particularly in its "Shastra Parijñā" section, details how Mahāvīra himself recognized all six life-forms – earth, water, fire, plants, mobile beings (trasakāya), and air – as sentient ("cittamanta"). This understanding led to meticulous avoidance of harming them. The text elaborates on how humans, driven by self-interest, cause violence to these six life-forms in various ways, leading to suffering (asāta, aparinirvāṇa, mahābhaya) for all beings. The renunciation of violence (karma samārambha) is presented as the sole remedy for this suffering. The article quotes that all Arhats and Tirthankaras preach that no being, in any form, should be harmed or caused distress.
The Impermanent Nature of the Body: The Ācārāṅga emphasizes the transient and ever-changing nature of the physical body, describing it as composed of elements, born of parents, a collection of food, subject to breakage, decay, and transformation. This understanding is presented as a reason to detach from it.
Reasons for Non-Violence: The text provides several justifications for adhering to ahimsā:
1. Love of Life: All beings cherish life, desire happiness, dislike suffering, and want to live. Therefore, harming them is unacceptable.
2. Self-Identification (Ātma-aupamya): What is unpleasant to oneself is unpleasant to all beings. Understanding this leads to the renunciation of violence. The text also suggests that even the intention to harm causes harm to one's own soul through the generation of kashāyas (passions).
3. Rejection of Harmful Doctrines: The Ācārāṅga refutes the views of some ascetics and Brahmins who advocate for harming beings, labeling their statements as "anāryavachana" (un-Āryan sayings). The Āryan principle, it argues, is that no violence should be committed, as suffering is universally disliked.
Classification of Beings: Beyond the six kāyās, the Ācārāṅga also categorizes beings in other ways, including eight types of life-forms (earth, water, fire, plant-life divided into three, and mobile beings). It further specifies eight types of generation for mobile beings (egg-born, womb-born, etc.). The sentience of plant-life is argued by analogy with the body's characteristics: birth, growth, sentience, ability to heal when broken, need for sustenance, impermanence, and transformation. The term "citta" (consciousness) is used to denote sentience.
Nature of the Liberated Soul: The article notes that the Ācārāṅga describes the liberated soul as being beyond all physical descriptions, beyond logic and ordinary intellect, akin to the Upanishadic concept of Brahman. While the Ācārāṅga doesn't explicitly define the soul's physical form (unlike later texts that describe it as being shaped by the body), it emphasizes its nature as an experiencer, knower, and consciousness.
Knowledge (Jnāna) and its Stages: While not presenting a fully systematized theory of knowledge as found in later texts like the Nandi Sūtra, the Ācārāṅga references different ways of knowing: "drushṭa" (seen/direct perception), "muta" (learned/heard/scriptural), and "vijñāta" (known/understood/inference). These are seen as the precursors to the later established three "pramāṇas" (means of valid knowledge): Pratyaksha, Anumāna, and Āgama. The text doesn't mention Manahparyaya or Avadhijnāna, focusing on Moti (mind/inference) and Shruta (scripture/Agama). The term "Kevalajnana" (omniscience) is also not found.
Liberation (Nirvāṇa/Moksha): The Ācārāṅga discusses liberation, but without defining its specific form or location. It is understood as freedom from bondage, particularly the bondage of worldly life and vices like anger, pride, deceit, and greed. The text indicates that renunciation of karma and the shedding of the "karma sharīra" (body formed by karma) are essential. While the concept of "lokālokapravāṅcā" (freedom from the universe and the non-universe) is mentioned, the later, more defined cosmographical and cosmological concepts of Ālok (non-universe) are not clearly articulated here.
The Path to Liberation: The article highlights that while the structured "darśana-jnāna-cāritra" (perception-knowledge-conduct) path to liberation isn't explicitly defined, the Ācārāṅga points to various elements as paths. These include:
- Apramāda (Vigilance/Non-negligence): Emphasized as a path.
- A-rati (Discontentment with worldly pleasures): Its removal is considered a means to liberation.
- A-lobha (Non-greed): Presented as crucial.
- Ahimsā (Non-violence): Described as the path.
- A-parigraha (Non-possession): Highlighted for its significance, even linking it to Brahmacharya (celibacy) as the means to freedom from bondage.
- Vidyā (Knowledge): Presented as an antidote to ignorance (avidyā) leading to liberation.
- Faith/Shraddhā: The Ācārāṅga emphasizes faith in the teachings of the Jinas, considering them as the ultimate truth and a source of liberation.
Early Terminology: The article concludes by noting that while the Ācārāṅga uses many terms that later became foundational in Jain philosophy (e.g., Ajjava, Arhant, Āsava, Kashāya, Nijjara, Bandha, Samyakva), their detailed definitions were not yet established. Their usage in the Ācārāṅga provides the raw material and early linguistic framework upon which later Jain philosophical discourse and systematic definition were built.

In essence, the article positions the Ācārāṅga Sūtra as a vital text for understanding the nascent stages of Jain thought, revealing its core ethical principles, its early metaphysical speculations, and the initial formulations of its path to liberation, all rooted in the profound understanding of the soul and karma.