Aapta Mimansa

Author(s): Saratchandra Ghoshal
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

Page 31

CHAPTER I
these establish the omniscient.
In the present verse, it is urged that there might be things not false which are present internally and externally in a being and these might establish the omniscient. For instance it might be said that lustre or absence of hunger, thirst, old age, death, sweats a shadow, in bodies of celestial beings are not false signs like those shown by magicians, but those really exist. But the author says that though these might exist in the dwellers of heaven, such appearances do not establish omnisciece, for such celestial beings are subject to passions (kaşāya), anger (krodha), pride (māna), deceipt (māyā) and greed (lobha) from which the omniscient is entirely free.
According to the Jain doctrine jīvās are of various kinds. Among these are celestial beings, human beings, sub-human beings and dwellers in hell. The celestial beings are of four kinds, residential (Bhavana-vāsin), peripatetic (Vyantara), stellar (Jyotiska) and heavenly (Vaimānika). These celestial beings have internal qualities, viz., freedom from sweat etc. and external qualities, viz, emitting sweet scent. It is said that though magicians can show false images of heavenly beings, these characteristics will be absent in such false sights. Those who practise Yoga say that the test of finding whether the sights of Gods and Godesses are real is to look for such characteristics, because a magician will not be able to reproduce these in a false show of celestial beings.
It might be urged, that as magicians fail to show these, the same are neither false nor mundane. So we should accept these as identifying essentials of the omniscient.3 To this, a reply is given that it cannot be so, for the omniscient is free from ghātiya karmas, but the celestial beings who possess similar specialities are not free from these, as
1. "Langagfofahrer: 1" Tattvārthadhigama-sūtra, IV.1. 2. “आत्मानमधिश्रित्य वर्तमानोऽध्यात्ममन्तरंगो विग्रहादिमहोदयः शश्वनिःस्वेदत्वादिः परानमेक्षत्वात्;
cal aferent chakula ut aluftara" Astasahasri. 3. " a Feat AFICI Pagal Haut 1174674Tata.” Astasahasri.