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98
J. C. Sikdar
Among many capacities of Soul the main and most comprehensib'e of all the jñānasakti (capacity of knowledge), viryasakti (capacitiy of striving energy), saṁkalpaśakti (capacity of volition or desire) and śraddhāśakti (capacity of right attitude of mind or belief). These capacities are non-different from it.1. In the machine of human body one feels the experience of another agency which defies the laws of nature, space, and time; there is something which is not physically analysable but is distinct from the object. So it is explained in the Jaina Āgama that Jiva is endowed with energy, exertion, action, strength, effort and vigour, and it manifests its sentiency (Jivabhāva) by the state of itself, 20 because Soul having an inherent attribute of consciousness attains cognition of infinite modes of all kinds of knowledge and those of wrong knowledge, those of self-awareness, etc.21
As to the point that the capacities of Jiva are non-different from it, the Jaina Agama explains that Soul is knowledge?? i. e. endowed with right knowledge in some respect and is also wrong knowledge. i. e. possessed of wrong knowledge in other respect and knowledge itself is invariably Soul, for consciousness (upayoga) is its inherent quality. Similarly, self-awareness (as one aspect of consciousness) and outside objects are correlated, because Soul is possessed of the capacity of taking note of the natural external objects; it is the 'knower'. It is also invariably self-awareness (daršana) and self-awareness is invariably Soul itself.2 3
In Jajna Philosophy Soul is studied from the following eight aspects of its capacities, namely dravyātmā (soul as substance), kaṣāyātmā (Soul actuated by passion), yagātmā (soul endowed with activity), upayogātmā (soul endowed with consciousness), jñānātmā (soul possessing knowledge), darśanātmā (soul possessing self-awareness), cāritrātmā (soul existing in conduct) and viryātmā (soul endowed with energy). 24 It manifests itself in and through these stages of life. There exists psychologically an inter-relation among these eight aspects of Soul, for they are interconnected as different aspects of one and the same Soul-Substance. As for example, he who has dravyātmā has in some respect kaşāyātmā and he has not got it in other respect. But he who is endowed with kasāyātmā has invariably dravyātmā.25
Life-essentials of Soul are represented by five senses, mental, vocal and bodily activities, duration of life and respiration. 28 Whatever things and behaviours it makes, such as saṁskāras (forces), etc. are reflected in it, one fine material body (paudgalik śarira) containing an impression of these forces is being formed by it, and that body exists with it, i. e. accompanies it at the time of taking up another new body.27 As a changing entity Soul always vibrates in different forms, moves further and goes to all directions, then it enters into the world; it agitates and transforms those conditions of living beings. 8 Soul is the agent of all acts of beings, for 18 kinds of sinful acts (act of killing up to the perverted attitude of mind) and the acts of desistance from them, different states of it (bhāva), perception (avagraha), retention (dhāraņā), exertion, action, etc., up to determinate and indeterminate consciousness of being do not take place without it. 29
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