Istopadesa The Golden Discourse

Author(s): Vijay K Jain
Publisher: Vikalp

Page 23

Istopadeśa - The Golden Discourse
योग्योपादानयोगेन दृषदः स्वर्णता मता । द्रव्यादिस्वादिसम्पत्तावात्मनोऽप्यात्मता मता ॥
(2)
As particular ore, on the availability of proper purifying agents, gets to its intrinsic identity, that is, gold, similarly, the soul, on the manifestation of its aspects like substance, attains self-identity (emancipation).
EXPLANATORY NOTES
Jaina logicians describe every fact of reality according to four different aspects: its substance (dravya), space of its existence (kşetra), time of its existence (kāla), and its nature (bhāva). Every object admits of a four-fold affirmative predication (svacatusțaya) with reference to its own substance (svadravya), own space (svakşetra), own time (svakāla), and own nature (svabhāva). Simultaneously a four-fold negative predication is implied with reference to other substance (paradravya), other space (paraksetra), other time (parakāla), and other nature (parabhāva). The substance of an object not only implies its svadravya but differentiates it from paradravya. It becomes logically necessary to locate a negation for every affirmation and vice-versa. We must not only perceive a thing but also perceive it as distinct from other things. Without this distinction there cannot be true and clear perception of an object. When the soul, on the availability of suitable means, admits of the four-fold affirmation with respect to svadravya, svakşetra, svakāla, and svabhāva, it also admits of the four-fold negation with respect to paradravya, parakşetra, parakāla, and parabhāva.
The substance of the emancipated soul is incorporeal (amūrta)