Jaina Philosophy Historical Outline

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

Page 95

74 Jain Philosophy in Historical Outline
categories (Satta-Kāyavāda) while in the Jain Suyagaḍa' as the doctrine of soul as a sixth (ātma-ṣaṣtha-vāda) which Silanka identifies with the doctrine of Bhagavadgītā as well as with the Samkhya and some aspects of the Saiva system. Dr. Barua thinks that in Pakudha's six or seven categories, considered as the permanent elements of thought and existence, one may trace a background of the Vaiśeşika categories, and that, as regards the broad outlines of his philosophy, Pakudha may be described as the Empedocles of India. How far this claim is justified is difficult to say. However, according to Barua, Pakudha, like Empedocles, maintained that the elements of being are so distinct from one another that there can be no transition from the one into the other and that the four roots of all things are the four elementsearth, water, fire and air-which are in their nature permanent, devoid of any qualitative change. Over and above these four elements, Barua observes, Pakudha regards, just as the Greek philosopher has regarded the forces of love and hatred, pleasure and pain as two principles of change. How he has arrived at such a conclusion is difficult to understand since the Samaññaphala Sutta categorically states that according to Pakudha the seven categories -earth, water, fire, air, pleasure, pain and life are eternal and immutable elements.
Dr. Basham has shown that the Majjhima Nikaya3 incorporates with Pakudha's doctrine part of Gośāla's fatalist creed and one of the Chinese versions of the Samaññaphala Sutta1 makes of Pakudha a determinist. The Southern Ajīvikas held a theory of elements very similar to that of Pakudha. "The three chief Tamil sources, Manimekalai, Nilakeci and Civañāṇacittiyār, all declare that, according to Ajivika doctrine, there are five immutable atomic elements (anu or porul), earth, air, water, fire and life (uyir or cīvam). Meṇimekalai, however, the oldest of these sources, adds 'but joy and sorrow, these two are atoms.' Nilakeci leaves the total of the elements at five, but Civañāṇa-cittiyar states, 'Our lord has declared to us the seven which we must consider, including these two which are joined with them, namely good and evil.' This is surely the seven-element theory of Pakudha Kaccayana, with the more moral categories punna and păpa substituted for the hedonistic sukha and dukkha."5
11. 1.1. 15-16.
'HDA, pp. 91-92.
'I, pp. 513ff.
'Rockhill, LB, pp. 255ff.
HDA, p. 91.