Gandharavada

SR No.: 006739
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Esther A Solomon
Publisher: Gujarat Vidyasabha
Publication Year: 1966
Total Pages: 400
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 18 MB

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pains of all kinds, whose internal (psychological) enemies have been set at nought, rejoice.
Thus Prabhasa came across statements which corroborated the concept of Nirvana as sheer extinction and also as a particular state of an existent thing, and hence his doubt (1975).
Moreover, Prabhasa also believes that the connection of soul and karma, like that of soul and akasa is beginningless and so it will never come to an end; there will not be an end to samsara, or the transmigratory condition or mundane condition, and so there is not the slightest scope for nirvana. There is nothing like nirvana (1976).
Mahavira resolves this problem of nirvana. As he had explained to Mandika, the connection of jiva and karman which has no beginning, can be dissociated by true knowledge and action, as the connection of gold and kanaka-paşana (ore) can be brought to an end even though it is beginningless, by contact with fire, etc.. This sets at nought the suspicion that there cannot be nirvana (1977).
It may be urged that the soul is always in the state of a hellish being, lower being, god, etc and that is its state of samsara (mundane existence); we have no knowledge of any soul which is not in one of these states; that is to say, the jiva is never known as a basic substance devoid of these paryayas (modes). So when the samsara in the form of the state of hellish being, etc. is destroyed, the soul itself will be destroyed. Then whose would this mokṣa be? (1978).
But there is no ground for any such apprehension. When the hellish state and such other states which are merely modes (paryayas) perish, it is not true to say that the soul too absolutely perishes, as when a ring is destroyed, the gold is not absolutely destroyed. As when the ring-mode of gold is destroyed, the ear-ring-mode comes into existence, so when the naraka and other modes of the soul perish, the mukti-paryaya (salvation-mode) comes into existence; but the basic substance persists all throughout (1979).