________________
Chapter 9: Pupil's Third Doubt regarding the Soul being Kartä
The soul is always unbound, Nature itself creates bondage; or God might be inspiring it to act, therefore the soul stays unbound.
- 72
Explanation & Discussion:
Another idea occurs to the pupil. He has learned that the soul is inherently unattached and unbound. As such, no bondage can arise and the acquisition of Karma is merely imaginary. In other words, the soul cannot indulge in anything that can lead it to bondage. Any activity is left to Nature or Prakruti, which consists of the three basic attributes of Satva, Rajas, and Tamas. Such an activity of Nature cannot bind the soul. Therefore it remains unbound.
Jain Education International
130
The pupil might also be resorting to the Sänkhya philosophy, which provides a different connotation to the term Prakruti. That philosophy divides the entire universe into two parts. One is termed as Purush, which denotes the soul and the other is termed as Prakruti, which denotes every thing else. Prakruti is supposed to have 24 components. Of these, the first group consists of the five fundamental aspects of earth, water, fire, air, and space. The second group consists of the five sense organs of skin, tongue, nose, eyes, and ears. The third group consists of the five active organs of speech, hands, feet, anus, and genitals. The fourth group consists of the five sense objects of touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound. Mind, intelligence, tendencies, and ego are the remaining four. The worldly life consists of the interaction of those 24 elements, while Purush, the soul, stays unaffected by any of them.
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
