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Kamal Chand Sogani
whole of knowledge and virtue, 15 observance of five great vows, 16 virtues like contentment??, forgiveness18, modesty', moral emotions like fearlessness 20, and universal love?], and propagation of values 22-all these are intrinsically desirable. It should be borne in mind that it is the experience of these intrinsic values that is good in itself. Kundakunda states that good experience (Subha bhāva) is intrinsically valuable. 23 Kundakunda speaks of śubha bhāva to represent all that is intrinsically valuable?4. It is a complex mental state comprising cognitive, conative and affective elements. The Samayasāra regards bhāva, pariņāma, adhyavasāya, citta etc. as synonyms.25
We have dwelt upon the things that are intrinsically worthy. But the basic question that remains to be discussed is the definition of good or Subha. Kundakunda enumerates things that are subha. Perhaps he does not face the question "What is good or śubha ?' It is surprising that he does not give us any criterion of intrinsic goodness. Simple enumeration cannot lead us anywhere. I shall try to give the definition of good which, I believe, shall be in congruence with the utterances of Kundakunda. Thus we may say, śubha is an experience in tune with ahiṁsā. Since there are degrees of ahimsa, so there are degrees of fubha or good.
The ingredients of this experience which is complex but unified are emotions, and knowledge issuing as a result of an end-seeking action. Satisfaction on the fulfilment of ends is the accompaniment of experience. The implication of the definition of śubha or good is that goodness does not belong to things in complete isolation from feeling; a thing is good, because it gives rise to an experience in tune with ahimsā.
I wish to discuss this question a little further. The question as to what is $ubha in the realm of ethics is like the question "What is dravya' in the realm of metaphysics. The definition of dravya given by the Jaina ācāryas is : Dravya is that which is sat (being). Here 'being' is used in a comprehensive, and not particular, sense. However, no particular can be apart from being. We may logically say that being is the highest genus whereas the particulars are its species and the relation between the two is 'identity-in-difference'. Similarly, when I say that Subha is an experience in tune with ahinsa, I am using the term 'ahimsă' in the comprehensive sense and not in a particular sense. No particular Subha can be separated from ahinsa and ahimsā manifests itself in all particular Subhas. In a logical sense, it can be said that ahimsa is the highest genus and particular ahimsās are its species, and the relation between ahimsā and ahimsās is a relation of identity-in-difference. For example, in non-killing and non-exploitation, though the identical element of ahimsă is present, yet the two are different So the above is the most general definition of subha just like the definition of dravya. It may be noted here that we can understand being only through the particulars since general being is unintelligible owing to its being abstract, though we can think of it factually, i. e. value neutrally. Similarly, the understanding of general ahimsă shall come only through
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