Dravyasamgraha

Author(s): Nemichandra Acharya, Vijay K Jain
Publisher: Vikalp

Page 24

Verse 3
devoid of these characteristics. Hence the author, trying to describe the nature of life as we know it, enumerates the four fundamental characteristics of organic life. These are: 1. Balaprāņa or strength which consists of:
(a) Manobala or strength of mind. (b) Vāgbala or strength of speech.
(c) Kāyabala or strength of body. 2. Indriya-prānas are the senses:
(a) Sparsa or contact sense through skin. (b) Rasa or taste through tongue. (c) Ghrāņa or smell through nose. (d) Sabda or sound through ears. (e) Cakṣu or vision through eyes.
Thus the Indriyas are five. 3. Ayuḥ Prāņa which is the duration or age of life and it is one. 4. Ucchvāsa or respiration is one.
Thus the four Prāṇas become ten Prāņas when details are taken into consideration. These Prānas need not all of them with all the details be present together in an organism, i.e., there may be an organism which has not all the five Indriyas. But there must be the four main characteristics. These Prānas are generated by the respective Karmas. The number and quality of the Prāņas will be determined by the Karmic differences. These are considered to be the characteristics of soul, only from Vyavahārika point. The particular Vyavahāra point adopted here is called by the Jaina Philosopher, anupacaritaasadbhūta-vyavahāranaya i.e., non-conventional and relative aspect of attending to the unessential nature of a thing, i.e., these characteristics do not belong to Atmā according to the principle of absolute reality or Suddha Niscayanaya.
Chakravarti Nayanar, A., Acārya Kundakunda's Pañcāstikāya-Sāra, p. 22-23