Tattva Sangraha Vol 1

SR No.: 007608
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Kamlashila, Ganganatha Jha
Publisher: Oriental Research Institute Vadodra
Publication Year: 1937
Total Pages: 753
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 42 MB

Page 218

(F) THE DOCTRINE OF SOUL' ACCORDING TO VĀTSIPUTRIYAS. 223
is the only characteristic of an Entity. This Capacity is restricted to momentary Entities only that is, it is invariably concomitant with momentarinees; specially as any effective action would be impossible for an Eternal Entity, whose activities could not be either successive or simultaneous. So that, if the Pudgala is "incapable of being spoken of as momentary',- then it cannot have the nature of an Entity; as the more extensive character of momentariness' is absent in it ;-just as the absence of the character of
Tree' means the absence of the character of the Shimshapa' (a particular tree). This is what has been thus declared :--That which is incapable of being spoken of as non-eternal cannot be the cause of anything."
The following might be urged :-"If the Pudgala were eternal, then Effective Activity would be incompatible as, being noither successivo nor simultaneous ;-but as a matter of fact, it is as 'incapable of being spoken of' as non-eternal as it is of being spoken of as eternal ; so that effective action cannot be incompatible with it."
This is not right; there can be no entity with a specific individuality which is devoid of both these characters (of eternality and non-eternality); asi' eternal and non-eternal' are mutually exclusive (and contradictory) terms; so that in any entity, the absence or presence of one of these must mean the presence or absence (respectively) of the other.
We are not objecting to the application of the term 'incapable of being spoken of', to the Pudgala ; because the applying of names to things depends entirely upon the wish of the speaker, and as such, cannot be objected to by anyone. What we are doing however is to examine the nature of the Entity', -is this natura always present in the thing called 'Pudgala', or not? If it is present, then the thing must be eternal, because "eternality consists in nothing else except that character which is always present and is never destroyed and it is only a thing having this character that is called 'Eternal'; as has been declared in the words- The learned call that thing Eternal which, in its own form, is never destroyed',If, on the other hand, the other view be held, that the said nature is not always present in the Pudgala.-- then the Pudgala must be non-eternal; as the only characteristic of the non-eternal thing is that it should not be lasting (permanent).--Thus then there being no other alternative apart from being momentary (non-eternal) or non-momentary' (eternal), and effective activity-either successive or simultaneous-being incompatible for the non-momentary (Eternal) Entity, the Existence of a thing must be invariably concomitant with momentariness'; so that if "momentariness is absent in the Pudgala, Existence also must be absent, --and it becomes established that it is non-existenl.-(347)
Says the Jaina :-"If it is so, and if the Pudgala does not exist at all, then how is it that the Blessed Lord (Budulha) when asked-as to whether the Living Entity is this and the Body is that, the Living Erzity being different from tho Body,--said this has not been explained' ?-Why did he not say straight away that there is no such thing as the Living Entity (Soul)?"
This is answered in the following