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Jain Theism
"Roughly speaking what is ‘Purusa' in the Samkhya and the Yoga system of philosophy, "Atmā" in the Nyāya, the Vaišeșika and the Vedānta thoughts, is Jiva in the Jain philosophy. Yet there is difference between the 'Purusa' of the Samkhya and the Yoga and the Jiva of the Jain; the Atmā of the Nyāya and the Vaiseșika philosophy is not quite the same as the Jiva of the Jain system of philosophy; "the Atmā of the Vedānta again, is different from the Jiva of the Jain system."? In Jainism "the difference between Jiva and Ajiva is not absolute one. They are related to each other as subject and object. They are not incompatible. They are related to each other in an organic unity. “Soul is a subtle substance..... Pudgala matter has weight and fills the space; but the essence of soul is conceived in self consciousness absolutely devoid of any materiality." The Daśavaikälika Sätra asks "One, who does not know the self and the non-self, how can he know the path to self-control (Saiyama)."*
In non-Jain or other system of Indian philosophy, as well as in Jainism, the knower is the soul, The knowledge is apprehended by the soul. It is a usual traditional or colloquial usage to say that the eye sees' or 'the ear listens' or 'the hand feels the touch'. In fact, what it is and what should be is : I see with eyes, 'l' listen with ears and so on. The pronouns used as T or 'you' or 'he' or 'she' etc. are for the individual's soul. The soul is knower and senses are simply tools to know. "The subject of all forms of valid cognition is the self as known by direct perception etc.”
"The soul is not an exclusive possession of human beings, according to Jainism. It allows the soul principle to extend to all the living things of the universe." With reference to this range of existences of the soul Nahar writes, “It is these souls in plasma that lie scattered in every nook and corner of the universe and each is the doer of good or bad deeds to reap the consequences of which each takes the repetition of births and deaths according to the merits of its own Karma, and thus traverses through the various grades of Samsāra. Heaven, hell a purgatory of ultimately release itself from the fetters of bondage by the dissipation of its own Karma whereupon it becomes pure and perfect
2. H.S.Bhattacharya, Reals in the Jain Metaphysics, (1966) p. 269 3. Nahar and Ghosh, An Epitome of Jainism p. 279 4. Dasavaikalika Sutra : 4.12 5. TAT vezana ufHas YT I P.N.T.VII-55 6. Dr. G. N. Joshi, Atma and Mokşa, (1965) p. 229
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