Classification of the Jain literature

The classification of the jain literature
By:-Dr Amit Prakash Jain
Many a times we think that there are a number of types of various granths (religious books), & sometimes the topics covered in them are so different from one another that it is not easy for us to believe that these all granths are directing us to the same goal that is "swabhav" or the "dharam"
.But, to make it easy there is a classification of the anuyogs or the granths.The classification is :-1- Prathmanuyog:- now as the name says it is 'pratham' or the 1st i.e. the'initial' anuyog.It is initial as it is for the beginners.Here we include the various jain puranas like--Padmapuran-Harivamshpuran-Mahaveerpuran-Adipuran etcNow, in these granths there are stories pf the tirthankaras & other shalaka purush(some special persons).By the stories of their lives the reader learns the dharma , this help in developing the right faith i.e. the samyakdarshan.It is noteworthy to mention here that while the Padmapuran contains the jain-Ramayana, the Harivanshpuran has the stories of Shree Krishna.Stories are simple & attractive for the beginners.The reader learns for eg., from the Padmapuran that even great person like lord Rama & Devi Sita had to face the sorrows due to karmoday. In the same way it gives a message to the reader that this world is 'asaar' or meaningless & the real sukh is there in the salvation.

2-Charnanuyog:- this group of the granths deals with the description of the charitras or the conduct of vthe shraavaks & the munis.Ratnakraandshravakaachar written by Shree Samantbhadraacharyaji some 2000yrs back is the prototype of the charananuyog granths.In this granth the aacharya has given the examples pf the good shraavaks to those munis who have distracted from the samyakdarashan & he has given examples of the samyakdrishti animals to the shravaks who have distracted from the samyakdarashanYes, I am correct- jainism believes that even ananimal can have samyakdarshan.

3-Karnanuyog:- this group deals with the Jain-geography & mathematics.It explains about the gunsthaans and the margnasthans, jeevdasha etc.These topics are certainly not for the beginners & so we find that these granths are studied by the scholars & munis etcThe ultimate aim of the granths is also to lead to "swabhav" i.e. dharmaExamples of this group's granths are:-Shree Shathkhandaagam, etc

4- Dravyanuyog:- this is the group of the graths which states directly the swabhav (the essence of dharma) of the six dravyas (substances) & primarily that of the jeeva-dravya.It is 'direct' because what ever it is explaining is the ultimate aims of the other above 3 groups that is to say that "vastu swabhavo iti khalu dhammo"- the nature of the substance is its dharma.This group includes:-Samaysaar, Pravachansaar, Panchaastikaay .ASthpahud & the Panchaastikaay.The above mentioned 5 granths are called as the 'Panch parmaagams' written by Aacharya Shree Kundkund bhagwaan, some 2000yrs back in the prakrit languag.I must mention here that the paramagams were written by Kundkundaacharya dev after listening to the divya-dhoni of the Kevali Shree Srimandhar Swmi Bhagwan at Videhkshetra

.There are hundred and one definitions of the dharma in jainism but all means the same & ultimately all the granths leads to swabhav which is dharma." I am jeev dravya,gyan is my gunn (quality) & 'to know' is my 'paryay'"- this is the essence of all these anuyogs

No concept of ghoost in jainism

No cocept of ghoosts in jainism
By:- Dr, Amit Prakash Jain
There is no provision of the free souls roaming around here & there in jain phylosophy (bhatakti aatma). There is no aatma(preyt) which can enter into some other person's body as believed in the other religions. When a person dies his soul travels very very fastly to right up & from there it takes another birth - all this happens in some micr or milli fractions of a second.There is discription about the Vyantar devs who can be regarded as "bhoot-prets" in general language, but this vyantar dev has thier own bodies & can't get into somebody else's body.
so I tell you that whenever you find any psychiatric case in which the person seems as if some aatma has entered in his body-then it is falso according to science as well as jain phylosophy.
But, again the person may not be malingering rather he may be having a psychiatric problem & should be treated properly

the concept of god in jainism

Reference: 'Jain Dharma evam darshan' by Pt Kailash Chandraji

Vedics call jains as nastik as jainism do not believe in any Ishwar who is creater of this world.Let us analys this subject.For this I have referred the book "Jain dharma" written by sidhhantacharya Pt. Shri Kailashchandraji Shastri.
There are 3 kinds of faiths about god.One says that there is a supreme all-0mighty god who has created us & will destroy us.This world is not real ,& it is like a dream of the god (Brahma)The other faith is that the god has created us but cannot destroy us & he gives the fruits as according to our deeds.The 3rd faith says that there is no such god who has created us & this world but we & this world is beginningless & endless (anadi-anidhan)
Suppose, we go with the first faith & believes that there is a creater god who has created us & this world.There was nothing else in the beginning & only this supreme god was there.Now, the question comes that who has created god?From what substance he was created ?From where does those substances came from?The scholars of this faith says that the god has not been created ,he was there on his own.Means, they are accepting that there was a vastu (god) which was beginningless & was on its own i.e. nobody has created him.Now, when a vastu or a substance is there then there must be existance of its qualities(gunns) because without qualities a vastu can't be there.So, they accept that the qualities were also beginningless & were on their own- nobody created them.Now, the question arises when there was nothing else other than god then with what he created this world & the aatmas.?Vastu cannot form from avastu.Means there must be something raw material from which a substance is formed.For example we can make a ring, a chain,or a mukut of gold.We can also make a chain into a ring, a ring into a rod & so on,But in any case there must be the gold.Similarly, we find that water of sea evoporates & forms clouds & then again falls as rain, it can become ice- but in all such changes this Hydrogen & oxygen (which forms water) must be present.We can take countless examples & each time will come to conclusion that the basic substance is always existing & only thing which is happening is the change of form or state (paryaya).Scientists say that "matter or energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only their states or forms are changing"So, it is not possible to create a substance from a non-substance. Or "something can never be created from nothing"Jain phylosophy says that this world & the aatmas & every thing is existing from the beginningless time, we are not created from "nothing" by any god.No one can destroy us nor this world.Actually nothing is ever destroyed in this world.Have you seen you eat a fruit,it is digested and converted into energy , mass(your boby cells), & the rest is passed off as stools.This faeces goes into soil, taken up as nutrients by bacteria & plants & again this plant will give you fruit.What is destroyed in the whole process?Nothing.Only the form or state is changing, substance is never destroyed.So is the case of aatmas.We will leave this body oneday & will take another birth, but we'll be never destroyed.(to be continued- - - - - - )So, we find that nothing can be created nor destroyed- that is we & this world is having existence on our own.
Now, let us analyse the 2nd believe which says that a god has created us & this world but he doesn't interfere with the fruits ( i.e. sukh- dukh) we gets.We do karmas & get the results accordingly.Also this god can't destroy us.This is very questionable.You see if so called god is in nowhere coming in the results of our deeds or the karmas then what is his significance.Won't it be then correct to say, that we get things according to our own karmas.If we'll do wrong we'll get dukh or sorrow & the vice-versa.Again the people of this faith also believes that god is allmighty & if we do hie pooja or makes him happy then he will give us reward.You see the contradiction.On one hand they say whatever we get is in accordance with our own deeds & on the other hand they believe that if they makes the god happy then He'll give him good rewards- what is the role of the karma principle then?What a partiality god is doing- do wrong deeds along with doing his pooja etc- you'll get rewards- this injustice can be made out simply.Third is the view of jina-dharma- which says that there is no god who is the creater, destroyer or the care-taker of this world.We get fruits in accordance with our karma.Nobody gives these fruits but we ourselves get them in according to our karmas.For example, if you put your hand on fire it will burn- no god is burning it.Similarly if you heat water it changes into steam- no god is making this steam.If a seed is sown in soil, water & sunlight if present- the seed will grow into tree- no god is doing this.Suppose that there is a god who is doing all this- then why the seed is not growing without soil & water?why your hand is not protected from heat when you put it on fire?Why water becomes steam & not ice when it is boiled?
No- god is not doing all this- they happens on their own because one substance can influence other substances & can be itself influenced by other substances.That is why when we do a sin then we get a fruit which is dukh for us & when we do a good deed then it brings us a fruit which is sukh for us.Jina-dharma says god is the one who has destroyed all his karmas & so has attained his swabhav i.e. kevalgyan & will not be born again in this world.Real sukh according to jina-dharma is in swabhav (that is to know & to see)- the worldly sukh are only for a while & are ultimately leading us to attain more karma-bandhan only.