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Soul-Units and self-cons cionsness.
AN EPITOME OF JAINISM. to the regions of the un-extended which accounts for the plurality of its existence. The conception of pudgal-matter is that it has weight and fills up space ; but the essence of the soul is conceived in selfconsciousness absolutely devoid of any tinge of materiality whatsoever. The soul being as such it is according to our philosophy a self-existent ultimate reality without beginning and end. Bereft of all colour, taste, smell and touch, it is metaphysically formless though it takes on the form of that wherein it happens to dwell by virtue of its own Karma. Like the vacuous space it has innumerable pradeshas. By Pradeshas are meant the minutest parts, the soul-units, which do not admit of futher psychological analysis. These indivisible parts of the soul or soul-units which are infinite in number are all alike in essence for which reason the soul is said to be characterised by unity with a difference. They are essentially of the nature of conscious èffulgence which seems to have been put out, as it were, by the super-imposition of the Karma-matter on the various parts of the soul, just as a mirror becomes clouded
