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also; it does not become extinct and because of 'vā it means that even an embodied soul in this-worldly existence can be free from the influence of pleasure and pain, the fruit of punya and pāpa, e. g. a yogin free from passions, etc. who has subdued or even destroyed his moha (stupefaction, ignorance) and who is in the highest stage of samādhi. Such a yogin is not affected by pleasure and pain (2019).
Or the sandhi (coalescence) in the sentence can be dissolved thus: 'aśarīram våva santam', where 'vāva' is the same as 'vā'. It states that pleasure and pain have no effect on the unembodied soul existing in the state of mokşa; 'vā' suggests that it has no effect even on a soul free from attachment, etc. though it be embodied. Or the sentence can be explained as 'aśarīram vā ava santam'. 'Ava’ is imperative second person singular of the root ‘av', to protect, go, love, etc.. Now, roots having the sense of motion are also used in the sense of knowledge. The sentence then means : 0 disciple, know that pleasure and pain do not affect the unembodied soul existing in the state of mokṣa as qualified by such attributes as knowledge, etc.. 'Va' suggests that they do not affect even a 'sasarira'-embodied soul free from passions. (2020).
It can be argued here that Lord Mahāvīra construes the sentence so as to make it yield the meaning he wants from them. But the opponent also could do the same. The statement can be interpreted thus : 'aśarīrain và avasantam....' – the unembodied one which does not exist anywhere.... This would corroborate the stand that the soul does not exist, is annihilated in the state of emancipation. But this is not correct, for as shown above 'asarira' points to the existence of the soul in the state of mokṣa and no interpretation can be accepted which contradicts this. Moreover, the statement about pleasure and pain not having any effect can be consistently explained only with reference to an existent thing; there is no sense in saying that they have no effect on a non-existent soul. We never say, 'Pleasure and pain do not affect barren woman's son' because there is no possibility of it in this case. Therefore the
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