Jainism a Theistic Philosophy

Author(s): Krishna A Gosavi
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 71

CHAPTER- III
JAINA THEISM AND CONCEPT OF SOUL
III. (i) The Nature of Soul: Its Eternity
The complicated problem of the existence of soul has troubled almost all the great minds of the world. There have been such philosophers who did not believe in an independent existence of soul like the Carvākas in India, and earlier Greek philosopher as Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Heraclitus, and the like. In the times Lord Mahāvīra such thoughts were not altogether absent. He attempted in a successful manner to prove the independent existence of soul.'Lord Mahāvīra in the opening presents the views of those opponents who do not believe in existence of independent soul. 'O! Indrabhuti you have doubt a about the existence of soul (jīva), since it is not directly perceived by the senses as is the case with a jar (ghața). And so you argue that whatever is imperceptible does not exist in the world, e.g., a flower in the sky.
Soul has no colour what so ever, so like physical objects, it is not perceived by visual sense organs. If atoms having physical qualities cannot be grasped by sense perception, then how can one expect the soul bereft of physical qualities to be an object of sense perception.
Atoms (aņus) are not in the range of perception, yet, they do exist and when they are transformed as to perform function of a jar etc., they no longer remain so. However such is not the case with soul. It never attains a stage when it can be directly perceive."
'Dr. Mohanlal Mehta, “Jaina Philosophy: An Introduction” P-80,
1998
2 Viseṣāvasyaka-bhāṣya, 1549
'Dr. Mohanlal Mehta, "Jaina Philosophy: An Introduction",P-80