Atma the Self

Author(s): Punyadarshanvijay
Publisher: Sanmarg Prakashan

Page 66

.... ATMA
The Self....
and creations exist mainly because of these eight 'Vargaņā' or categories of organised bodies of Matter. All particles of Matter have different qualities and disqualities like merits and demerits found in a drug.
The Eight important Vargaņā :
i) Audārika Vargaņā - for all material bodies of living beings,
visible and invisible. ii) VaikriyaVargaņā (Astral) for Celestial and Infernal beings. iii) Āhāraka Varganā : A subtle body developed by high spiritual
saints which can cover incredible distances to acquire spiritual
knowledge. iv) Tējasa Vargaņā : Static energy, heat, digesting power. v) Bhāṣā Vargaņā : Sound, speech, language. vi) Svāsāśvāsa Vargaņā : Respiratory. vii) Mana: Vargaņā : Mental, thought, mind. viii) Karman Varganā : (Inner subtle body) pertaining to karman
relation to soul. It is the seed of all mental & physical activities.
There are innumerable Vargaņā in between these eight. Each upper Varganā (divisional group) consists of larger number of infinite particles. Higher the Vargaņā, the particles become finer and lighter, occupy lesser space than the previous one.
These classificatons will provide the reader a faint idea of the stupendous work, complete details, functions, aspects, classifications and calculations on each and every subject from different perspectives given in several Jaina Holy Scriptures (which are only a fraction of the originals), the Omniscient Teacher-'Arhat' has propounded.
42