Enlightened Vision of the Self

Author(s): Akalankadev, Devendra K Goyal
Publisher: Radiant Publishers New Delhi

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14
THE ENLIGHTENED VISION OF THE SELF
out of nothing, nor does it lose its identity of substance in this annihilation, but it always has the third characteristic of dhrauga or stability, for otherwise it will forego its character as a sat or real. 21
The word “sthiti” in Verse 2 stands for stability or continuity while "utpatti” (origination or appearance) and “yaya” (disappearance) account for change. This conception differs from Vedantic monism, which emphasizes permanency alone as the characteristic of reality and dismisses change as sheer illusion. It also differs from Buddhist ksharikavada (momentary change) which overemphasizes change to the utter neglect of the underlying stability. The one-sided emphasis either on permanency or change is rejected by Jaina thinkers who are critical of such systems as ekantavada – a system which clings to a partial aspect of the reality. Jaina thinkers call their own system as anekantavada, which maintains that Reality has multifarious aspects and that a complete comprehension of that must necessarily take into consideration all the different aspects through which reality manifests itself.22 The Jaina concept of "Drauga: Continuity and Change” is explained in detail in Appendix 1.
The third Verse discusses the relation between the soul and knowledge which is described as one of identity-in-difference. The soul is neither absolutely distinct nor absolutelyidentical to knowledge. It is both distinct and non-distinct to a certain extent, but not absolutely. Knowledge or consciousness is an essential and distinguishing characteristic of the soul.
It [knowledge] constitutes its very essence. The jira can therefore know unaided everything directly and exactly as it is; only there should be no impediment in its way. External conditions, such as the organ of sight and the presence of light, are useful only indirectly and jnana results automatically when the obstacles are removed through their aid.23
Knowledge distinguishes the soul from other substances, such as matter, space, etc. Acharya Kundakunda observes: