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SUTRA 15
SUTRA 15.
असंख्येयभागादिषु जीवानाम् ॥१५॥
ASAMKHYEYABHĀGĀDIṢU JĪVĀNĀM [15]
( लोकाकाशे असंख्येयभागादिषु जीवानामवगाहो भवति । )
97
(Souls are existent in every iota of space beginning with one or more countless fractions of it up to the whole universe, i.e., if the space is divided into countless parts, the size of a soul can be so small as to occupy one or more of these parts and in special cases the size of a single soul can fill the whole universe.)
अणुगुरुदेहपमाणो उवसंहारप्पसप्पदो चेदा । 218
(Jiva becomes equal in extent to a small or a large body by contraction and expansion.)
This view of the Jainas has been badly criticized by Sankaracarya in his commentary on Vedanta-sutra 2.2.34. He argues that if a soul is equal in extent to its body, it is impossible that the same soul can enter into the bodies of a fly and an elephant. In fact there is a controversy amongst the philosophers regarding the precise part of the body which should be assigned as the seat of the soul. Some think it is located in the heart, others think it is located in the head or in some specific brain centres. If this view is accepted it is difficult to think how one could feel the bodily affections as its own. Since a body grows from a microscopical size in the mother's womb to its full proportions and contracts again, at the end of its earthly career, to reincarnate into a new seed, it follows that the size of the soul cannot remain fixed.
This subject is well discussed by S. J. Maher in his work on Psychology where he says: "(the soul is) an immaterial energy exerting its proper activities ubiquitously throughout the living body."
According to the Jaina view the soul expands to fill the whole universe at the time of samudghāta219 (i.e., exit of the soul from
218. Dravya-samgraha, 10.
219. मूलसरीरमछंडिय उत्तरदेहस्स जीवपिंडस्स ।
णिग्गमणं देहादो हवदि समुग्धादणामं तु ।
(Gommata-sara, Jivakända, 668).
