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Epistemology of Jainas
without which the auxiliary causes have nothing to operate upon. They are helpless. Where, the visible material cause is not found we have to postulate invisible one, as in the case of sound and lightening etc. In the case of sound the different parts of mouth are auxiliary caus?s, giving articulation to the sound; but they are not the stuff of whicb the sound is constiluted. We, therefore, postulate a material substance which changes itself into the form of sound. Similarly, in the case of
sciousness also if body or the physical elements are simply auxiliaries we would have to postulate some material cause also of which the consciousness is constituted; and this would lead to the existence of soul.
The Cārvāka argues : when visible cause is available there is no reason for postulating the invisible one. In the case of sound also we need not go out of the perceptible cause. One should be satisfied with the visible cause, whatever it may be.
The Jaina replies that the Carvāka contention that one should satisfy merely with the visible cause, and should not postulate the visible one goes against his own conceptions. The fire is produced from the pieces of wood (arani) rubbed together. In this case the Cārvāka himself postulates some invisible fire as material cause of the visible fire. Otherwise his system of causation would collapse. According to his theory of causation fire and earth are different elements. They do not act as the cause and effect mutually. Consequently the fire cannot be produced from the wood as the latter belongs to a different element i.e. earth. If fire is accepted as the effect of wood, it would lose its position of being a separate entity. Similarly, the pearls are produced from water as far as visible cause is concerned. Consequently, they would lose their connection with the element of earth and would become a part of water, which is not accepted by the Cārvāka also. Similarly, the water oozing out of the moon stone will lose its relation with the element of water and come into the category of earth. Thus the whole system of causation and the conception of
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