Jain Thought and Culture

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

Page 41

Concept of Soul in Jain Philosophy and its Scientific Interpretation
like oscilographs, electrocardiographis, electroencephalographs etc Now there is a law in physics that every current of electricity when in motion must liave its own magnetic field and hence it is presumed that evert living organism also has its own magnetic field
According to this concept this magnetic field is the Soul or Atma of the individual and it gets attracted and attached to the electrical energy as soon as a suitable affinity between the two is established in accordance with Karma
Thus the electrical crerg) with its magnctic field goes on operating intimately in the individual through the media of electromagnetic waves It is well known that speech is easily transmitted through electromagnetic waves over long distances and similarly it is assumed that even thought processes have similar electromagnetic waves and even telepathic signals may have electromagnetic waves Great Yogis have been known to influence persons by virtue of their powerful personalities which are nothing else than their powerful Souls which according to this concept are their magnetic fields and thus it is possible to generale powerful electromagnelic waves capable of being transmitted by them This works in the same way as powerful magnets which are able to generate their own electromagnetic currenis
During life all actions and thought process, specially powerful acts and serious incidents have an impact on the soul of the individual and these in the form of karmic matter in waves are attached to the magnetic field which is the Soul When an individual dies the electrical energy vanishes and the magnetic field along with the karmic matter escapes and this goes on roaming about in the universe till such time that it again finds its suitable electrical energy or nidus, when it again adopts a body and starts manifesting through it, according to its Karma So long as the karmic waves or matter are attached to the magnetic field it goes on through the cycles of births and deaths Thus this magnetic field can explain to a certain cxtent in a scientific language the concept of soul as it is understood today and its transmigration phenomenon
Of course this being a mere hypothesis,2 has to be put to test in accordance with the modern knowledge of physics and allied subjects
2 Dr Kasliwal has a some what original hypothesis which belongs to the realm of Para-phychology rather than history-Editor