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632/Go. Sa. Jivakanda
Gatha 563-594
Doubt - Use is unstable, therefore it cannot be a characteristic of the soul. If an unstable substance is made a characteristic, then the same situation will arise as if someone had identified Devadatta's house by saying, "The one on which Kopa is sitting is Devadatta's house." When Kopa flies away, the identification of Devadatta's house is lost.
Solution - No, because even when one use-moment is destroyed, another takes its place, the stream of use never breaks. Due to Paryayashti, even when the use related to a particular substance is destroyed, the use remains normal due to Dravyapita. If the complete destruction of use is assumed, then in the future, remembrance, recognition, etc. will not be possible, because the remembrance of a self-experienced substance is only by the self, not by another. The entire social interaction of the world will be lost due to the effect of remembrance.
The four colors, namely touch, taste, smell, and color, are the characteristics of Pudgala.
Doubt - Why is the mention of touch, taste, and smell not made in the Gatha?
Solution - No, because touch, taste, and smell are inseparable from color, so they are included in color. Or, they are included by the word 'chau'.
That which is touched, or the mere act of touching, is called touch. Touch is of eight types, due to the difference of soft, hard, heavy, light, cold, hot, smooth, and rough. That which is the form of taste, or the mere taste, is called taste. Taste is of five types, due to the difference of sour, bitter, sweet, and astringent. That which is smelled, or the mere act of smelling, is called smell. It is of two types, due to the difference of fragrance and foul smell. That which has any color, or the mere color, is called color. It is of five types, due to the difference of black, blue, yellow, white, and red. These are the basic differences of touch, etc. However, each has countable, uncountable, and infinite differences. Thus, those in which touch, taste, smell, and color are found are Pudgalas. They are always connected with Pudgala Dravya.
Jan Indiehi Gih Ruvam-Ras-Gandh-Phas-Parinam. Tan Triya Puggal-Damb Anant-Gun Jivrasi Do. ||207||
[Swamikartikeyanupreksha]
That which is capable of being perceived by the senses due to being of the form of color, taste, smell, and touch, is all Pudgala Dravya. Their number is infinite compared to the number of living beings, because there are infinite Pudgala Vargana located on each living being's region.
1. Rajavartika 2/8/21-22-23. 2. "Sparsharasa Gandh Bavant: Pudgalah ||23||" [T. Mu. Pra. 5]. 3. "Ramadyamiti Chetan, Tadavinabhavattadantarbhavah" [S. Si 5/5]4. S Si. 5/23. 5. "Pudagapadavyam Indriyagrahya Dhyasaganyampparinamattvat Pudgalaparyayattvat." [Swamivatikeyanupreksha Gatha 207 ki Teeka].