________________
Chapter 8: Guru's Explanation of the Soul's Everlastingness
As a substance, the soul is eternal but
its states continue to change; childhood, adulthood and old age are
experienced by the same person.
Explanation & Discussion:
This and the subsequent two stanzas are in reply to the pupil's contention that the soul should be ephemeral or transitory. The reply in this stanza is based on Anekäntväd, meaning the multiplicity of viewpoints. Jainism considers every thing mainly from two points of view. One relates to the true nature of a substance and is known as the Dravyarthic viewpoint. From that viewpoint, a substance always remains the same and continues to hold its natural properties. Neither does its nature change, nor do any of its substantial properties disappear. Jainism lays down six original substances, of which soul and Pudgal are the most significant
Take the instance of soul. Consciousness and knowing capability are its inherent properties, which always stay with it. Even when a soul is born as a one-sensed being, it is not entirely devoid of consciousness or of the knowing capability. This can be seen by the sense of pain and pleasure that is experienced even by plant life. As a substance, the soul thus continues to exist along with its inherent properties. From the Dravyarthic point of view, therefore, the soul stays forever.
The second viewpoint relates to its changing states. For instance, by virtue of Karma a human may be reborn as an animal, or a male as a female, but the soul remains the same. Those changes merely indicate its changing states. To take a familiar example, a child grows up to be a youth and then grows
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
