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The Jaina world of Non-living
undergoes contraction in its spacepoints like dry leather. Its gross body undergoes expansion in them like spread of oil drops on water-surface. 2. These processes of contraction and expansion cause the soul to occupy different number of spacepoints upto innumerable ones. It may be illustrated by the lamp which, if kept in open space, illuminates the large area, while, if kept in small or covered area, illuminates the limited area. 3. Q. If the soul has the nature of expansion and contraction like the lamp, it should also be non-permanent like it. A. This is quite desirable. Modally, the soul is non-permanent due to its expansion and contraction in spacepoints of associated karmic body. Secondly, it is also permanent with respect to substantive standpoint of general tangible reality like the tangible lamp. The illustration of lamp is, thus, not contradictory to Jaina precept. 4. Q. If the soul has a nature of contraction and expansion in its spacepoints like the lamp, it means it should have a composite character and it will have dissociation in its spacepoints by division, piercing etc. This leads to the zeroing of the soul. A. This is not correct. Despite its bondage with karmic body and non-separability from it, the soul has a differentia and does not loose its non-mattergic nature. Therefore, there is no dissociation of spacepoints in it like the lamp. 5. Moreover, the Jainas are polyviewists. The absolutist may have difficulty in facing the charge of composite nature or expansioncontraction-nature of the soul. For the non-absolutist Jainas, the soul does not have the nature of either expansion or contraction in its spacepoints nor it is composite on the basis of substantive standpoint of its differentia of beginningless conscious character. However, it undergoes the above processes on the basis of modal standpoint of its modes due to fruition of physique-making karma of formation causing its definite but gross or fine body. Similarly, it is composite also due to its modal state under beginningless karmic bondages. 6. Further, those entities have componental dissociation and loss which have causal components. For example, a fabric is made from combination of many fibers. It could be destroyed due to dissociation of
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