Book Title: Concept of Divinity in Jainism
Author(s): P Ajay Kothari
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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Page 100
________________ internal self, is aware of the difference between the self and physical body etc. The self is free from lust and attachment and is on the way to liberation. When a self annihilates all its karmas and attains divinity or omniscience, such a self is called Paramatma.46 Acharya Kundakunda observes that the knower of true self, free from delusion is Paramatma.47 Jiva is without colour, taste and form and exists eternally. Jiva engages itself in activity and activity brings in the karmic matter. It is because of its association with the pudgala or karmic matter that jiva becomes visible. When the soul is embodied, it is effected by the physical environment in different ways. This entanglement in the wheel of samsara is beginningless. The end is liberation (Moksha) which the soul attains after annihilating all the karma. An obvious classification of living beings into two classes distinguishes the liberated beings from those in the course of transmigration; the former is called mukta jiva (liberated being) and the latter is 48 the samsarin or amukta jiva (non-liberated being). When the soul is freed from all impurities it moves upward to the end of loka.“! While a soul covered by karma transmigrates in the world. The samsari jivas or the transmigrating souls are of two kinds; those with minds (samanaska) and those without minds (amanaska).50 The possessor of mind is called sanjni.S! The amanaska jiva is asanjni. The mind is anindriya.52 The mind is either physical (dravya) or psychical (bhava). The physical mind is nothing but material atoms transformed into the form of mind.53 The psychic mind is the mental states. According to Jainism, there are infinite jivas in the universe and a jiva has innumerable pradeshas. 54 By the contraction and expansion of pradesha, the soul occupies the space like the light from a lamp.55 The soul becomes equal in extent to a small or a large body by contraction and expansion.56 Hermann Jacobi remarks that Jains have a tenet of the size of the soul which is not shared by other faith.57 THE CONCEPT OF DIVINITY IN JAINISM Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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