Istopadesa The Golden Discourse

Author(s): Vijay K Jain
Publisher: Vikalp

Page 80

स्वसंवेदनसुव्यक्तस्तनुमात्रो निरत्ययः । अत्यन्तसौख्यवानात्मा लोकालोकविलोकन: ॥
EXPLANATORY NOTES
Verse 21
The soul is the knower of the universe (loka) and the nonuniverse (aloka), of the nature of infinite bliss, coextensive with the body, eternal, and is known adequately through self-realization.
(21)
जीवो उवओगमओ अमुत्ति कत्ता सदेहपरिमाणो ।
भोत्ता संसारत्थो सिद्धो सो विस्ससोड्डगदि ॥
Acārya Nemichandra, in Dravyasamgraha, has defined the nature of the soul as under:
(2)
Jiva is characterized by consciousness (cetana) that is concomitant with upayoga perception (darśana) and knowledge (jñāna), is incorporeal (amūrta), a causal agent (kartā), coextensive with the body, enjoyer of the fruits of karmas (bhoktā), having the world as its abode, emancipated (Siddha), and of the nature of darting upwards.
First and foremost, consciousness is the distinctive characteristic of the soul. The manifestation of consciousness follows two channels, one of conation and the other of knowledge. It is due to this characteristic of active or attentive consciousness that the soul is distinguished from the body, though it is one with the body from the point of view of bondage. Gold and silver remain
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