Jain Journal 1969 07

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 39

The Misery -its what, why, and how
PRADYUMNA KUMAR JAIN
Misery (dukkha), according to Jaina view, is an outcome of the confusion of realities and confusion because the reality is not rightly apprehended. Before apprehending it rightly we have to know that the reality, by its very nature, is apprehensible. That what is apprehensible positively exists. To exist is, therefore, to be real. The real is āstikya. Existence is its differential characteristic. It is, says Kunda Kunda, pervasive among all the padārthas ; it is universal assuming infinite modifications, etc., etc. The existence is real, the real is existence. In addition to it the author of Pañcādhyāyi mentions some more attributes attached with the real. . The real, according to it, is, besides being also self-proved (sva-prāmāņika), eternal (nitya), self-dependent (svābalambi) and non-conceptual (nirvikalpa).3 The real, assuming that nature is such, is categorized in two ways, namely: the self (jiva) having the quality of conscious-attentiveness (upayoga) and the not-self (ajiva) having it not. From these basic categories emerge some more ones. which are meant to explain the riddle of life-cycle—mundane as well as divine. They are the influx (āsrava), bondage (bandha), check or resistance (sambara), annihilation (nirjarā) and liberation (mokşa). Kunda Kunda added two more categories to the existing list, i.e. merit (punya) and demerit (pāpa)5 thus making an exhaustive list of nine categories (tattvas).
In this account of categories the Jaina has a unique position among all the philosophies of the world. His uniqueness lies mainly in the elaboration of the last seven categories of the real. The asrava and bandha are held to be the causes of misery, samvara and nirjarā to be the ways for eradication of the causes of misery and the last one mokşa to be the ultimate state of soul's emancipation from misery. Now, for the sake of systematic exposition of each category we divide our dissertation under three heads ; viz : what, why, and how. The 'what' will deal with the meaning of the term, the 'why' with its cause or causes and the 'how with its functioning.
1 2 3 4 8
Pky., 5. Ibid., 8. Panc., 1-8. T.S., 1-2. Pky., 108.