Philosophy In Jain Agams: Kriyāvāda

The tradition which believes in the real existence of substances like soul etc. is called kriyāvāda. The first among the four samavasaraṇas is kriyāvāda. Both kriyāvāda and Akriyāvāda are discussed keeping the concept of soul at the centre. Believers of kriyāvāda, accept the existence of the soul. The soul exists; it transmigrates in different states of life. It is the doer of karma, it experiences the results of karma, it emancipates -all these comprise the complete characteristics of the doctrine of kriyāvāda.

An elaborate discussion on kriyāvāda can be seen in the Daśāśrutaskandha. According to this scripture, one who is kriyāvādī, is a theist and a person with the right faith, a believer of this world and the other world, a believer of karma as well as the results of karma.^[1] This description of kriyāvāda, available in the Daśāśrutaskandha expresses the four meanings of kriyāvāda which are belief in theism, belief in right faith, belief in rebirth and belief in karma. In the Sutrakṛtāṅga, there is a mention of the basic principles of kriyāvāda which is as follows:

1. There is soul
2. There is this world
3. There is liberation and non-liberation
4. There is eternal and non-eternal
5. There is birth and death
6. There is origination and cessation
7. There is hell and hellish realm of existence
8. There is cause of influx of karma and inhibition of karma.
9. There is sorrow and separation of karma.^[2]

All the doctrines which believe in the existence of the soul and the soul as a doer, have been included in kriyāvāda. In Acārāṅga, there is an illustration of ātmavāda (doctrine of soul), lokavāda (doctrine of world), karmavāda (doctrine of karma) and kriyāvāda (doctrine of action).^[3] In the Acārāṅga, the meaning of kriyāvāda is confined to ātmakartrtvavāda, but, in the context of samavasaraṇa, kriyāvāda entertains all these concepts such as ātmavāda, karmavāda etc.

Believers of kriyāvāda hold that the soul exists, but they are not unanimous with regard to the nature and size of the soul. Some hold thesoul to be all-pervasive and others say it is not, some say that the soul is corporeal and some others prefer to define it as formless. Some say that the soul measures like a thumb and some others measure it like a grain of rice. Some also describe the soul to be as a flame of candle with in the heart.

Believers in the kriyāvāda, accept the result of karma (karmaphala).^[4] kriyāvādī can be called as a theistic person because he comprehends the reality on the basis of asti (existence).^[5] Texts such as Tattvārtha Vārtika, Ṣa

darśana Samuccaya etc. mention few names of ācarayas who were followers of kriyāvāda, akriyāvāda etc.^[6] Those who accept importance of action and reject the importance of knowledge are also included within the category of kriyāvāda, by some thinkers.^[7]

Prof. Herman Jacobi has considered Vaiśeṣikas as kriyāvādī,^[8] but, he has not mentioned any reason for this inclusion. Mr. J. C. Sikdar has also included the śramaṇa-nirgrantha and Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika within the class of kriyāvāda. He has mentioned the reason for this inclusion, as the belief in the existence of the soul and also the responsibility of the soul in creating a web of miseries and joys i.e. Ātmakartṛtvavāda.^[9] But both the views must be re-evaluated since in this category of kriyāvāda, the śramaṇa nirgrantha cannot be included and the concepts of Vaiśeṣika also do not match with those of the kriyāvāda completely. The Sūtrakṛtāṅga cūrṇi clearly illustrated the Vaiśeṣika under akriyāvādī.^[10] In Sūtrakṛtāṅga, anekavāda (pluralism) is one of the eight types of akriyāvāda. Acharya Mahapragya has presented Vaiśeṣika philosophy as an example of anekavāda and it is a part of Akriyāvāda.^[11]