Agam 15 Upang 04 Pragnapana Sutra Part 02

Author(s): Shyamacharya, Punyavijay, Dalsukh Malvania, Amrutlal Bhojak
Publisher: Mahavir Jain Vidyalay

Page 245

... [216]...
literary divisions of the text are named Padas. There are in all thirtysix padas. Various classes of jivas are described in the first Pada. First the jīvas (souls) are divided into two main divisions, viz, siddha (liberated) and saṁsāri (not-liberated). Thereafter on the basis of the numbers of sense-organs which the jivas possess they are divided into five classes, viz. one-sensed (ekendriya), twosensed (dvīndriya), three-sensed (trindriya), four-sensed (caturindriya) and five-sensed (pañcendriya). All the not-liberated souls are included in these five classes. Thus here the principle of division is the orderly increase in the number of sense-organs. The second Pada yields information as to which parts of the world are inhabited by this or that class of living beings. The scheme of division that is found in the first Pada--that is, the scheme of division based on the numbers of sense-organs-is adopted in this second Pada also. The only difference is that here the term prthvikaya (earthbodied beings) is employed in place of ekendriya (one-sensed beings) because the author wants to give information regarding the dwelling places of the different classes of the ekendriya beings, viz. prthvikāya etc., one by one in due order. But the order of presentation is the same, that is, from ekendriya to pañcendriya. Even in the third Pada (viz. Bahuvaktavya) this scheme of division is followed. But afterwards the divisions of living beings made on the basis of gati, etc. are also made use of. From sū. 216 onward the divisions of jīvas on the basis of gati are thought of. And again from sū. 225 onward all the possible divisions of living beings based on gati (class of animate beings), indriya (sense-organ), kāya (body), yoga (activity), veda (sexual behaviour), kaşāya (certain vices), leśyā (mental temperament), samyaktva (right faith), jñana (determinate cognition), darśana (indeterminate cognition), samyama (moral discipline), upayoga (cognition), ahāra (undertaking nourishment), bhāşaka (capable of speaking), paritta (having one body each), paryãpta (fully developed), sūksma (subtle), sanjñī (possessing higher cognitive capacity), bhava, astikāya, carima, jiva, kşetra, bandha are adopted in the discussion of the relative numerical strength of the different classes of living beings. But in all the remaining Padas, barring certain exceptions39, the discussion is conducted taking into consideration the 24 dandkas40 (classes) of jīvas (living beings)
39. For the exceptions one may refer to chapters 13th, 18th and 21st. 40. The classification of living beings into 24 dandakas is really nothing
but an elaboration of the classification based on gati (conditions of existence); of course, in the 24 dandakas the gati is viewed from the geographical standpoint and the gatis are arranged in accordance with the geographical regions from the lowest to the highest.