Jaina Ethics

Author(s): Dayanand Bhargav
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas

Page 70

53
Metaphysical Background
1
be a union of the intangible with the tangible? When did this union between the self and matter first occur? These are the questions which should be answered.
The question as to when the union of soul with matter occurred for the first time cannot arise, since this is a beginningless relation.1 As for the relation of the tangible matter with intangible soul, just as knowledge inspite of its being nontangible gets obliterated into the influence of wine, similarly self, though intangible, gets his qualities obstructed under the influence of tangible kārmāņa particles. Moreover, the soul, in its state of bondage, is conceived to be tangible.2
The union between the body and soul is made possible by the medium of kārmāṇaśarīra which, though made up of tangible material, is very subtle.3
The cause of misery-the inflow af Karmic matter and Bondage
The two predicaments, self and non-self, discussed so far, answer mainly such metaphysical curiosity as 'who am I ?' and 'what is the nature of the universe?' The remaining five predicaments are mainly the results of thinking on such ethical problems as 'what is the cause of misery ?' and 'how misery can be stopped?' The coming chapters will attempt to answer these enquiries. But, herebelow, we deal with these predicaments in a nut-shell so as to give a bird's eye view of what we propose to discuss later on in some detail.
The Upanisadic view
Cārvāka represented a common man's view that either lack of worldly possessions or some mental or physical disability is the cause of misery. This was the first answer that reason afforded to the question. It is, however, in the Upanisads that the limitations of this answer have been brought out. The real reason of misery lies deeper than it appears to be, at the surface. It is not finitude which can give us happiness; only infinitude can lead us to happiness. The transient world of birth, old
1. Pañcadhyayi, Indore. Vir Nir-Sam 2444, 2.35-36.
2. Ibid.. 2.57.
3. Ibid., 2.60.
4. यो वै भूमा तत्सुखं नाल्पे सुखमस्ति ।
-Chandogyopaniṣad, 7.23.1.