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Explanation of the Six Substances and the Five Astikāyas
The previous sutra had stated that the arising and passing away of the modes (paryāyas) of the jīva is due to the rise of the karmic name-determining (nāma) karma, such as that of the infernal beings (nāraka), animals (tiryañca), humans (manuṣya), and celestial beings (deva).
The general meaning (anvayārtha) is: (Nāraka, tiryañca, manuṣya, devā iti) The natures (prakṛtis) of the karmic name-determining (nāma) karma are the infernal beings, animals, humans, and celestial beings. (Sato bhāvasya) They cause the (nāśaṃ) destruction of the existing mode and (asato uppādaṃ) the origination of the non-existent mode.
The specific meaning (viśeṣārtha) is: Just as the ocean is eternal in its substance, yet the waves in it are constantly arising and subsiding, similarly, this jīva is eternally the knower-seer by its intrinsic nature, yet due to the influx of karmic activities that have been flowing from beginningless time, it is moved away from the attainment of the pure, passionless self, and keeps taking birth in different gatis (modes of existence) by abandoning one and taking up another, due to the rise of karmic name-determining (nāma) karma. This is said with reference to the transformation of modes (paryāyas). In reality, similar or dissimilar modes are always present in the substance (dravya) eternally, as it has been said.
That is, the modes (paryāyas) of the eternal substance (dravya) keep manifesting and perishing at every moment, just as the waves keep rising and subsiding in the ocean. The purport here is that the pure, passionless, blissful consciousness alone is the true jīvāstikāya (the substance of the living being) worthy of being grasped.
Thus, the first part of the introductory explanation of the three aspects - agency (kartṛtva), etc. - has been completed in three verses.
Verse 56 - This is the description of the arising of the qualities of the jīva:
The jīva's qualities are associated with both (ubhayoḥ) the rise (udayena) and the subsidence (uvasamena) as well as the destruction (khayena) [of karmic matter]. They are manifold (bahūsu) and extensive (vitthinṇā) in various (atthesu) contexts.