Jain Thought and Culture

Author(s): G C Pandey
Publisher: University of Rajasthan

Page 39

RM KASLIWAL*
CONCEPT OF SOUL IN JAIN PHILOSOPHY AND ITS SCIENTIFIC INTERPRETATION
Sometime ago I wrote a paper entitled "Scientific Concept of Soul a Hypothesis"The question naturally arises whether this hypothesis can be applied to the concept on "Soul" or "Atma" as interprelated in Jain Scriptures
In Jainism everything revolves round Soul or Atma In fact some even call it Atma Dharma, every living organism has a Soul or Alma and it manifests through a body The physical body is therefore only a vehicle in which Atma, the living principle which gives rise to consciousness, resides Without this life force, the body is only a dead matter From the real point of view of Nischaya Naya every soul is pure, perfect, all knowing, all peaceful and all blissful It is free from passionate thought activity, defect or infirmity, desire or ambition, care or sorrow It has infinite knowledge, infinite power and insinite happiness It knows all, sees all and is not affected by praise or defamation and maintains unanimity under all circumstances Therefore by nature it is pure and perfect and is capable of attaining Godhood and becoming Parmatma
But from the practical point of view of Vyavahara Naya the Soul or Atma appears impure because of the various thought activities like anger, pride, deceit and greed and other passionate thought activities which taint the Atma just as the particles of dust or dirt may make a piece of white cloth appear dirty These thought act:vities and other similar activities produce Karmic matter or molecules and these get attached to the Atma (Soul) which is an unbroken whole substance, non-material in nature
*Professor Emeritus, SMS Medical College, Jaipur 1 Journal of Para-Phychology, Vol IV, No 2, 1962 63, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur