Jaina Epistemology

SR No.: 006738
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Indra Chandra Shastri
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith
Publication Year: 1990
Total Pages: 516
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 21 MB

Page 174

The General Conception of Knowledge
(5) The majority of Upanisads state it as all-pervaqsive. The above mentioned conceptions in the Upanisads, except the last one, are related with the empirical self only. The transcendental soul is without any size.
In the scholastic period roughly, we have three views related with the extension of the soul. According to the Vaiseşika, Nyaya, Sankhya, Yoga and the Sankara school of the Vedanta soul is vibhu or contains the biggest dimension. With Nyaya and Vaiseṣika the biggest dimension means state of being in contact with all the objects having lesser size. According to Sankhya and Yoga it means all pervasiveness and according to Vedanta it means the state of being above the considerations of size and other limitations. Thus, the above systems, though one in not admitting any smaller size in the soul, disagree in the conception of the biggest size also. Nevertheless, they also admit the psychic activity as confined to the body; and they postulate one or the other factor to explain this phenomenon.
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Rāmānuja, Madhva and Vallabha are on the other extreme. They hold the discursive self (jIvätman) as having atomic size, i. e. anuparimaņa, while attribute God with all-pervasiveness.
The Jaina favours the middle position. It holds the soul co-extensive with the body. When occupying the body of an ant it is as big as the ant; and when pervades the body of an elephant it expands to that extent. Thus, according to Jainism the soul does not contain any fixed size. It can contract itself and become atomic. It can expand itself and become all-pervasive. But, one thing is fixed. It has innumerable space-units (pradeśas). Their number is always the same. It neither increases nor decreases. The same number accommodates itself in a smaller or bigger area. Thus, in contrast to the abovementioned two views, we can say, the Jaina does fix any size. He holds it variable and flexible. On this very point he is attacked by other systems that it would render the soul perisha