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A Hand Book of Jainology
loves his family and children; but he loves his body (his life) more. Therefore, he saves his body from the danger of being burnt to death and comes out of a burning house leaving in it his family and children, for whom his love is less than his love for his body. Now this question arises. In some situation, on account of deep disgrace or humiliation, someone commits suicide and discards even his body. For which dear thing does he act thus ? The answer to this question is that the man who discards his body by means of suicide does so to save his soul which he loves more from experiencing the terrific anguish of disgrace and humiliation and he thinks thus, "After my death, I need not witness this and I need not also burn in the flames of anguish”.
(15) The man who participates in a splendid dinner tells the one who is serving delicious food excessively, “Please do not serve any more food. If I eat more, it will harm “my body". It is evident that the one who says, “my body" is his soul. If the body itself were to say this, it would say, "If I eat more it will harm me". In the same manner, he will tell the doctor, “Dear doctor ! since last night the health of my body is upset”. He will not say, “Since the last night, I have been upset”.
Who is it that witnesses all this and who experiences all this? It is the soul. In order to save his beloved soul from this anquish which it experiences through the body, the man who commits suicide discards his body. In other words, he kills himself. From this, it becomes evident that the soul is the most beloved thing. In this manner, the soul shows itself to be an independent dravya or substance as different from the inert body and as an object deserving the greatest love. Questions : (1) How does the soul show itself to be different from blood,
muscles etc. formed by the food we consume ? (2) How is the body a house? (3) Establish the identity of the soul on the basis of the senses. (4) How is the soul the most beloved thing? How is this
established ?
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