Jaina Philosophy Historical Outline

Author(s): Narendra Nath Bhattacharya
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publisher's Pvt Ltd New Delhi

Page 149

128 Jain Philosophy in Historical Outline vent others from acquiring merit. The Kapota or grey Lesyā tastes like an unripe mango, bad in odour and touch as its predecessors. A Jiva under its influence becomes a thief, a liar, an intriguing person who delights to expose the bad qualities of others and to conceal his own. Of the good Leśyās, the first is Tejaḥ or red, which is like a fragrant flower to smell, a ripe mango to taste and butter to touch. It removes all evil thoughts from the Jiva, The Padma or yellow Leśyā is sweeter than honey so far as the taste is concerned. Through its influence a Jiva controls anger, pride, deceit and avarice. The Sukla or white Leśyā is the best of all. Its taste is sweeter than sugar. Under its influence a Jiva becomes completely stainless.
This classification according to the Leśyās although applies to the Jivas in general, it was really meant for human beings in particular for the justification of the doctrine of Karma. Here we have a change in the purpose of classification. According to the Jain texts the Leśyās are not dependent on the nature of the Jīva, but on Karma which accompanies it. Thus the classification is based not on that of the nature or inherent qualities of the thing concerned but on an extra substance supposed to infiltrate it from outside. It is said that the alteration produced on the Jiva, just as on a crystal by the presence of the black things, etc., is denoted by the word Leśyā.” Thus, according to above explanation, what produces Leśya is a subtile substance accompanying the Jīva to which are attributed the qualities. The word Leśyā appears to have been derived from Kleśa.
Scientific Enquiries: Biology, Physiology, etc.
In the Uttarādhyayana and the Suyagada we come across the earlier Jain attempts to understand the mysteries of life from a scienific point of view. Although the results of their investigations in some cases have been superficially blended with the a priori principles of the doctrine of Karma, the empiric basis has not been obscured. This basis was evidently due to the classification of living beings and things without life which was a favourite subject of study among the early Jain philosophers. The classification of living beings undoubte. dly presupposed the study of biological, physiological and allied sciences.
"Uttara, XXXIV; SBE, XLV, pp. 196-203.
2 Krşņādidravyasācivyāt pariņāmo ya ātmanaḥ; Sphatikasyeva tatrāyam leśyāśabdaḥ pravartate.