________________
212
THE JAINA GAZETTE
taste, smell and sight, powers of body and speech, respiration and duration of life, thus eight pranas.
The five-sensed beings, e.g. man, have the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing, the powers of body, speech, and mind, respiration and duration of life all the ten pranas. Some of the five-sensed beings do not have the power of mind and so they are called asanji panchendriya jivas, five-sensedirrational souls.
To hurt any of the vitalities of any of the living beings either through carelessness, anger, pride, deceit or greed is to commit Himsa.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I fear I have taxed your brains with some metaphysical technicalities. I am sorry I could not help it. A knowledge of these is very essential to understand the value and importance of the practice of Ahimsa. I think you will find what I have to say hereafter very interesting. Permit me to divert a little and draw your attention to the conception of soul according to Jainism which is other. wise called the Religion of Ahimsa and which has enjoined its followers to pay attention to the observance of Ahimsa, first and foremost.
Jainism teaches that there are infinite souls (Jivas) in the universe. They are existing from eternity and will continue to exist for ever. Every soul is distinct and separate. from every other soul. Every soul is potentially Divine. The infinite qualities of God, e.g., omniscience, omnipotence, infinite bliss etc., are latent in every soul. But through association with Karma, which is material in nature, each soul takes birth as a celestial, human, sub-human or hellish being. Let us not concern ourselves with the celestial or the hellish beings. The Celestial beings are so high above us that they dont need our help and the hellish beings are so low because of their sins that they dont deserve our help. Let us devote our attention to the welfare of the human and subhuman beings that live and move amidst us. I have said already that everything that lives has a soul and that every Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
