Jaina Concept of Omniscience

SR No.: 001547
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Ramjee Singh
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 1974
Total Pages: 258
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, & Knowledge
File Size: 17 MB

Page 136

THE PASSAGE FROM NESCIENCE..
of Kaṣāya-pāhuḍa-sutta" of Shri Gunadhara with Yati Vṛşabha's Churni, illustrates the function of and relations between Jiva, Karma, Kaṣāya and Yoga in a very beautiful manner by taking recourse to some analogies. Self is likened to the wall, karmas to dust-particles, yoga to the gush of wind and kaṣāya to the adhesive gum. Now, even if the wind blows and carries dust-particles to the wall, the wall does not keep them unless there is a gum applied to it. The stronger the gush of wind, more dust particles will flow in; similarly stronger the application of the gum, greater the adhessiveness. Similarly the quality of karmic-particles to be created depends upon the strength of the vibrations in the soul. So stronger the passions, stronger will be the bondage, because it is the passion that binds the karmic-matter to the soul.73 Yoga merely creates the karma-particles but does not bind them to the soul. So kaṣāya becomes the most important factor in the causation of bondage. 74
72 Gunadhara, Kaṣāya-Pāhuda-Sutta, with Curni of Vṛsabha, ed. Pt. Hira Lal Jain (Calcutta, Vīra Sasana Sangha, 1955), p. 62. 73 Gunaratna (in his com. on Haribhadra's Sad-darśana-samuccaya, p. 181) explains this with another example. He says the influx of karma means the contact of the particles of karma matter, in accordance with the particular kind of karma, with the soul, "just like the sticking of dust on the body of a person besmeared with oil. In all parts of the soul there being infinite number of karma atoms it becomes so completely covered with them that in some sense when looked at from the point of view of the soul is sometimes regarded as a material body during its samsara stage." (Eng. trans. by S. N. Das Gupta, A History of Indian Philosophy, vol. I., p. 194). This also explains "the copresence or interpenetration of matter and the conscious living substance (i.e., the soul) (which) is as good a fact of experience as the interpenetration of milk and water in a mixture of two, or of fire and iron in a red hot iron ball"-Gunaratna, ibid. p. 181 (Eng. trans. S. C. Chatterjee and D. M. Datta, Introduction to I. P., p. 103).
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74 The importance of kaşaya is evident from the fact that it forms the the main title of the great work of Gunadhara, known as Kaşayapahuḍa or Treatise on Passions. This is said to be the Third Sectior