________________
674
I am the Soul
Being completely pure is the natural disposition of the atma. There is no impurity or contamination in its impassionate original form. It has become passionate in the company of pudgals; it behaves passionately. Externally it appears passionate, but in truth it is of an impassionate, pure nature.
Indeed, among the panchastikayas in the entire universe, jiva too is a special astikaya. Like dharma, adharma, akash and pudgal, its characteristic of being a mass occupying space, makes jiva akin to them. But jiva alone has the chetana shakti. The jiva gets separated from all the inanimate because of this chetana shakti. There is chetana only in the atma, not in any other substance. The characteristics pertaining to chetan are also to be found only in the atma, and nowhere else.
Knowing and seeing, that is the jnata-drashta feeling is the jiva's quality that extends to external regions. Only atma has the ability to know and see other things. No other astikayas, or substances have this ability. Even the sensitiveness in itself is exclusive to the atma; and not present anywhere else.
Dharma - adharma and akash have other powers. The Dharmastikaya has the quality of providing movement. Adharmustikaya provides steadiness. In the entire universe, Dharmastikaya is responsible for providing movement to both jivas and pudgals. If it does not provide movement, then the entire Universe would come to a stand still. No body would be able to go from one place to another. Similarly, Adharmastikaya enables jivas and pudgals to remain steady. If it were to withdraw this quality, then there would be no stability in the Universe. Trees, houses, or mountains would not be stationary. Neither would be the humans, animals or birds. They would be hurtling hither thither. The akash provides space to jiva, pudgal and other substances. Akash is the one, which encompasses the massive Universe that is made of fourteen Rajjulokas.
Jain Educationa International
For Personal and Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
