Agam 05 Ang 05 Bhagvati Vyakhya Prajnapti Sutra Part 02 Bhagvai Terapanth

SR No.: 006599
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Tulsi Acharya, Mahapragna Acharya, Mahendramuni, Nathmal Tatia
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati
Publication Year: 2009
Total Pages: 740
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Agam, Canon, & agam_bhagwati
File Size: 20 MB

Page 621

Bhagavaï 7:8:158-159
~: 597 :~
In the same way, O Gautama! the soul also enlivens the body produced by his past karma by the innumerable soul-units, whether the body is small or big. For this reason, O Gautama! has it been said that the soul of the elephant and the soul of the kunthu are equal.
Bhāṣya
1. Sutras 158-159
Consciousness (sentience) is the general characteristic of the soul.' From that standpoint, all souls are equal, but their developments are not equal. The reason is the difference in the size of the cover (body). The subject matter of the present dialogue is the equality of all souls from the standpoint of their sentience and inequality from the standpoint of the difference generated by the karma bound by the souls in their past life. While propounding the equality of the souls of the elephant and the subtle insect, the difference of their size has been explained in respect of ten aspects, viz., action, urge, influx, nourishment, excreta, inhalation, exhalation, fortune, glory and splendour.
Now the question arises-how is it possible that the soul of the elephant and the subtle insect are equal from the view-point of sentience. The subtle insect renders its small body sentient, while the elephant renders his big body sentient. How then their sentience is equal?
The answer to this question is provided by the illustration of the lamp and the cover. If the cover of the lamp is small, the lamp enlightens only a small area, and if the cover is big, it enlightens the big area. The soul builds the body of the smaller or bigger size, according to his past karma, and whatever the size of the body, it makes it sentient by its innumerable number of soul-units. The size of the body also does not entail any difference in the existence of the sentience. The size of the field illuminated by it is only different, there being no difference in the nature of the soul.
Semantics
küḍāgārasälä-see Bhasya of Bha. 3/29,
iddaraa-a big basket. See Desīśabda-kosa.
gokilimja a big bamboo container (like a tub used for feeding the cow) which in desibhāṣa is called dalla, in Bengali ḍālā, in Rajasthani khario. (It is smaller in size than the former one).
pacchiyapidaa-a container made of bamboo, which is relatively smaller than the
former.
gaṇḍamāṇiyaa small container made of bamboo; (which has many holes, through which the light spreads out) it is called daliya which is smaller than dalla. The adhaka, prasthaka are gradually smaller in size.
divacampaa-the lid of the lamp.
āḍhaka I up to catuḥṣaṣṭikā. See Anuogadäräim, Sūtra 377.
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1. Bha. 2.139, 137.