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JIVA OR THE THEORY OF SOIL
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others drink molten iron, embrace red-hot iron pillars, and ascend and descend the tree with sharp thorns. They also strike others with lammers, cut them with hatchets and knives, sprinkle boiling oil on them... and crush them in oil press. Their life-time cannot be cut short as they cannot meet with premature death due to the various sorts of injuries suffered by them.36
The above discussion gives us a clear idea about the states of existence (gati) which a soul passes through. The gatis are, human, Celestial, Tiryanca and Nāraki. We have found that life is embodied in an endless variety of bodies and states. There are obvious differences of body, sense and mind in different beings, though the classification is entirely based on the kind of body.
The question that finally emerges is : What is the cause of these changes in the journey of a soul in the universe ? Is it by chance that the metamorphosis takes place or is there any law which offers a reasonable and convincing explanation ? Is it possible for the souls which are inherently pure and perfect to free themselves from the shackles or bondages and regain their perfection ? Jainism has provided answers to these essential questions that arise in life and we shall now see how bondage of the soul comes about before we can investigate into the methods of release from bondage.
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