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THE JAINA GAZETTE Natural Life, then the entire matter_Karma falls off and the Soul gets full Freedom from the bondage and goes unto Nirvana. Moksha, or the Godhead. This is the miracle-rather the scientific and systematic process by which the eternal bondage (eternal with respect to the continuons successive process) is broken off and annulled. This is the Jain theory. The other theory is that the Soul was in Pure, Natural State before ; and at some particular time, it got bondage of the Prakriti or matter. Then the question arises : How the Soul got the bondage ? In the Jain theory of eternal bondage, this question cannot arise, because the Jains do not admit that the Soul and matter were mixed together at any particular time. They hold that these are in a combined state from eternity hence such questions aswhen, how, and by whom the Soul and matter were combined cannot be put to the Jains. But in case of the other theory, such questions are quite legitimate and we have to hold that Soul and matter were combined by Ishwara,-the God; and in that case all the defects and blemishes of the worldly Soul become applicable to the God, and He having lost the Status of Pure Divinity, becomes like an embodied worldly Soul. Thus we have two theories :-One, that of eternal bondage of Soul and matter—although some what difficult to understand on the face--is better and nobler. The other, that of bondage taking place at some particular time through the agency of Godalthough very simple and easy for the lay man-is not so good and noble as it lowers and damages the Supreme Divinity and does not afford full freedom to the embodied Soul. We have to choose between the two and see which stands more to reason.
-Rickhab Dass.
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
