________________
....[308]...
CHAPTER VIII
SIGNS OR INSTINCTS OF LIVING BEINGS
This Pada is devoted to the treatment of jivasañjñā. Here by sañjñā is meant the sign which points to the existence of a living being. In the beginning of the Pada ten signs are enumerated (725). Afterwards we are told that all these ten signs are present in each and every transmigratory living being (726-729). But in the discussion on sañjña conducted from the standpoint of 24 Dandakas (730, 732) as also in the discussion on the relative numerical strength of living beings possessed of sañjñās (731, 733), the first four alone, viz. ahāra (food-seeking instinct), bhaya (fear), maithuna (mating instinct) and parigraha (acquisitive instinct) are taken into account. This suggests that in olden days these four sañjñās had been recognised and it is only afterwards that their number has been raised to ten. These ten sañjñās are as follows:
(1) āhāra (food-seeking instinct)
(2) bhaya (fear)
(3) maithuna (mating instinct)
(4) parigraha (acquisitive instinct)
(5) krodha (anger)
(6) māna (pride)
(7) māyā (deceit) (8) lobha (greed) (9) loka
(10) ogha
In the present context the meanings of the terms 'ähära' upto 'lobha' are clear but those of 'loka' and 'ogha' are not clear. Ac. Malayagiri explains the terms 'lokasañjñā' and 'oghasañjñā' as follows. Oghasañjña means cognition of generality whereas lokasañjña means cognition of particularity. But he has recorded another interpretation also. According to this interpretation, oghasañjñā means instinctive activity of climbing a creeper etc. whereas lokasañjñā means activity which one should avoid though prevalent in the world or among the common people.
The exposition of these sañjñās is performed from the standpoints of prominency and continuity. It is noted that in infernal beings instinct of fear (bhaya) is prominent, though each of the first four sañjñās are present always uninterruptedly (730). In subhuman beings (tiryañca) the food-seeking instinct is prominent (732), in human beings the mating instinct (734) and in celestial
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
