Concept of Paryaya in Jain Philosophy

Author(s): S R Bhatt, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 99

The Concept of Sat in Jaina Darsana 87 is also changeable. Whatever has birth, death and endurance or persistence is real (utpada-vyaya-dhrauvya-yuktam sat)1 It is true that nothing remains permanent; but there must be something which remains to be changed so that one cannot affirm change alone as real. From one standpoint, it is the same Bijay who was once a child, and was a youth and now is an old man. There is conspicuous difference between the child and the old. In other words, changes do take place; but amidst changes one has to accept the persistence of individual or thing for that matter. There is birth as well as death of the individual; but amidst both birth and death, there is the persistence of the individual that cannot be denied. Real is said to have constant modification (paryaya), but amidst modification, there is the same real stuff which remains and undergoes change. This account, according to the Jainas, is confirmed by experience 2. The Jaina standpoint has been exposed as offering the manifold nature of real (ananta dharmakam vastu)3 which accommodates both pluralism and relativism. It admits infinite entities and also such entities as being related with each other. According to the Jaina darsana, reality consists of infinite jivas as well as infinite ajivas. The word: ajiva has a negative import, that is, other than jiva. Some scholars view this position of Jainism as having more leaning towards jiva. That means, jiva is primary and ajiva is secondaryt. But such a rendering of the Jaina position is not well authenticated. However, it is held that ajiva , though infinite, is of five different types, viz; time (kala), space (akasa), motion (dharma), rest (adharma) and matter (pudgala). Jiva, in Jaina darsana, is not same as that of the Vedanta. Here jiva is viewed as both an enjoyer or experient (bhokta) and an agent (karta). Etymologically it means that "what lives or is animate". In other words, it stands for the vital principle (prana). It is infinite and each jiva intrinsically does not have qualitative difference from the other. But extrinsically, in its worldly (samsaric) form, jiva is classified into several varieties. Though intrinsically each jiva is perfect and infinitely intelligent, extrinsically it is bound and ignorant due to its being obscured by the karmic particles. It is notable that karma, in Jaina darsana, is not simply the action of the jiva, it is also construed as material particles (karmapudgala). It is not simply because of avidya or ignorance, but because of the influx of karmic particles, jiva is not in its purest form and becomes the victim of bondage.