Book Title: Gommatasara Jiva Kanda
Author(s): Nemichandra Siddhant Chakravarti, J L Jaini
Publisher: ZZZ Unknown

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Page 22
________________ 11 (Ajíva), Ásrava (Inflow), Bandha (Bondage), samvara (stoppage), Nirjará (Shedding), and Moksha (Liberation). Omniscience, There is another way of glancing at the subject. As the six Khandas of one Karma Bhúmi, huge as they are (the m of our Bharata Kshetra is about 21 lacs of miles with a length of about 5 crores and 81 lacs of miles), are nothing compared with Space or the universe, even so the works and knowledge of Sri Nemichandra, tremendous though they are, are really nothing in comparison with the whole knowledge, possessed by the Kevali Jina, the Omniscient Conqueror of Karmas. Yet Shri Gommațasára Jiya Kanda is a good introduction to the Great Tattva, Soul (Jíva). “Know Thyself”, has been the precept and practice of all serious searchers after the truth about Soul. Jainism is an uncompromising apotheosis of knowledge. And in a way in Jainism even Omniscience also is experiential, almost empi. rical. The Soul in Omniscient over flow (Kevala Samudgháta) touches the universe. This Omniscience again is a negation of Noetics. There is no Science or progression in Omniscience. It is just the seeing of the Whole Truth. It is a full and direct manifestation of the Soul. Knowledge is the essence of soul. There is no soul without knowledge. There is no knowledge or knowability without soul. Nonomniscience is merely a result of the soul being obscured by the conation-obscuring, and knowledge-obscuring (Darshanávarniya and Jnánávarniya) Karmas. These being destroyed, Omniscience, the real Natural characteristic of the Soul manifests itself. There are infinite souls. Each one has infinite attributes and modifications in Space and Time. It is not easy to classify and analyse and describe them. Less than an Omniscient cannot do it. Less than an Omniscient can follow it only by faith and fragmentarily. Our puny measures of Logic, Science and popular Philosophy are as capable of measuring Omniscience, as our yards and inches are of measuring Space. There are two ways known to us of having a very rough and remote Idea of Omniscience. One is by considering the exte early Jaina Sacred Literature which is mostly lost to-day; and the other and even a better one is by considering the Jaina theory of numbers. Both subjects are of high value, and immense use, and it is best to consider them here. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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