Essence of Jainism

SR No.: 007623
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi
Publication Year: 2003
Total Pages: 46
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 269 KB

Page 17

Chapter 8: NAV TATTVA, JIV AND AJIV
Jivä Puggalkäyä, Sah Sakkiriya Havanti Na Ya Sesä; Puggalkaranä Jivä, Khandhä Khalu Kälkaranä Du
Saman Suttam (627)
Jiv and Pudgal are imbibed with activity, all others are inactive; Karmik matter is instrumental to the activity of conscious soul, while the time is instrumental to that of lifeless matter.
It was stated in chapter 3 that Jiv, Ajiv, Punya, Päp, Asrav, Bandh, Samvar, Nirjara and Moksh are the nine fundamentals or Nav Tattvas that every one should know. Some description of Jiv has been given in the last chapter while dealing with Shaddraya. The knowledge of these fundamentals, or of anything else, is meant for knowing the Self. That Self is variously known as soul, Jiv, Atmä, Paramätmä, Chaitanya, Brahman, etc. Thus soul being the focal point and ultimate objective of all knowledge, it would be useful to discuss it here at some length.
The question may arise: 'What is this soul after all?' No one has ever seen it. The atheists, who refuse to believe in anything that cannot be seen or be grasped by senses, deny the existence of soul. Most of the scientists contribute to that view. They think that the body is a biochemical composition arising from a peculiar combination of productive genes of the parents. As long as the composition is active, it is said to be living organism; and when the activity comes to the end, it is considered as dead. The science, however, does not clarify what exactly makes it active and why does the activity come to the end. This is not the place to enter into pros and cons of the genetic theory. But, it is a fact that when a person dies, his heart, kidneys and other limbs may still be in working condition. Simply that particular body is unable to use them and therefore they cease to function. If, however, they are removed from that body in time and are transplanted in another body, they happen to function effectively in the new body. Does it not mean that there was some sort of invisible energy, which was activating the various limbs of the former body, while it was alive? That energy happens to disappear at the time of death. The presence or loss of that energy therefore makes the difference between the life and the death. The spiritual science terms that energy as soul.
There is an infinite number of souls and every living body has a soul. It is invisible and has no form or shape. It cannot therefore be experienced by the senses. It is an element on its own and cannot be produced by any sort of combination or composition. As such, it is stable and can never be decomposed; it is eternal and lasts forever. From time to time, the worldly soul has been abiding in different bodies through which it manifests itself. It leaves the body of one organism when it becomes useless and assumes another body suitable for its manifestation. This type of transmigration and new embodiment birth after the birth, has been going on since the time without beginning. Though a particular body happens to be its temporary abode, the soul tends to take it as its permanent abode and feels happy or unhappy depending upon the type of that body and its environments. Forgetful of its true nature, it tries to experience happiness within the framework of a given embodiment and the surrounding situations. When one body becomes useless for fulfilling its purpose, it gains a new one in tune with its yearnings and attachment. That attachment results from its delusion about its true nature. That gives rise to the disposition of craving for the desirable objects and of aversion for the undesirable ones. These craving and aversion are the main causes of acquiring Karma.
Every living being longs to be happy. The deluded sense of identification with the body, however, causes a soul to feel happy or unhappy depending upon the conditions obtained as the consequence of its previous Karmas. The ancient Seers have dwelt deep in search of the true happiness. They tried to explore the Self by raising the question 'Koham', which means 'Who am l'. The answer that they got was 'Soham', which means that I am that (soul). They could also perceive that the Tor Self is the source of true happiness and the abode of perfect bliss. They realized that the lifeless matter does not have the property to make any one happy or unhappy and that the happiness is an inherent property of soul.