Dravya Sangraha

Author(s): Nemichandra Siddhant Chakravarti, Saratchandra Ghoshal
Publisher: ZZZ Unknown

Page 84

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THE SACRED BOOKS OF THE JAINAS.
of Jivas. The Upâdâna or substantial cause of a Drarya-karma is therefore Pudgala or matter, and their Nimitta or determining cause is the Bhava-karma, viz., that condition of the Atmâ which render it capable of assimilating the particular Dravya-karma. Thus a Jiva is neither the Upâdâna nor the Nimitta cause of Dravyakarmas, according to Nischaya Naya. It is only from the Vyarahâra point of view that we say that the Jivas are causes of Dravyakar:nas. But, in reality, (according to Nischaya Naya), Jîva is only the agent of its own attitudes (Bhavas). In Pañchâstikaya-samayasara, we have: "Atmâ is the agent of its own Bhavas, as it causes its own resultants. But it is not the agent of Pudgala-karnias. This should be understood to be the precept of the Jina."*
The universe is therefore made up of Jîvas and Ajîvas. Pudgala or matter is the substantial cause of every material thing, while different Bhava or thought karmas are the determining cause of these. Jivas cause these thought karmas to be produced. Thus two sorts of substances, material and spiritual, may be regarled to be the cause of all kinds of manifestations. There are many units of this spiritual substance possessed of qualities which are known as Jîvas, and there are also many units of material substance (Pudgala), which again have their own characteristic qualities. These two kinds of substances act and re-act upon each other, and a constant state of activity is going on in this universe.
The Jaina doctrine of the causation of the world should therefore be remembered as quite distinct from the same of Hindu philosophies, like Vedanta, which asserts that the whole of the universe is one homogeneous spiritual Brahma, or, like Chârvâka, which avers that the universe is made up of matter only.
The commentator, Brahmadeva says that this verse refutes the doctrine of the Sankhya philosophy that Puruşa (corresponding to Jiva of the Jainas) is always Udâşîna (lit. indifferent, i.e., without activity), for here it is recognised that Jiva is an agent. †
* "कुव्वं सग सहावं अत्ता कत्ता सगस्स भावस्स । ण हि पोग्गलकम्माण इदि जिणवयण मुणेयव॥"
[Verse 61. + "एवं सांस्यमत प्रत्येकान्ताकर्तृत्वनिराकरण-मुख्यत्वेन गाथा गता"
(Brahmadeva's Commentary on verse 8, Dravya-sawgraha).