Jainism a Theistic Philosophy

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

Page 85

JAINA THEISM AND CONCEPT OF SOUL
be where its quality found. A soul is not all pervasive, because its qualities are not found everywhere.
Infinite Souls in the World: Souls in this world are infinite (ananta) in number, so at no time in future the number of souls will become nil. Since many souls have attained liberation, the question arises in the mind that at one time world might get emptied of souls. No system of Indian philosophy will think that or endorse a view that the world at some time will become empty of souls, because the infinity has no measure.
Variety of Souls: Jainism is a pluralistic system and teaches the reality of an infinite number of selves. This view is radically different from the monistic Vedānta doctrine of the reality of one absolute self. Jainism rejects the notion of one absolute soul and believes that each body possesses a different soul and hence there are many souls. One soul cannot occupy more than one body. If there were only one soul, there would be nothing like happiness, misery, bondage and emancipation. Therefore, all souls are different. One never becomes another or absorbs another. Every self is proportionate with the body it occupies. So they are not one but many. The mundane self is capable of adjusting its size according to its body as light illuminates a large or small space of room."
Apart above classification, some more classifications of soul are prominent in Jainism. Some texts divide multitude of the soul into two classes-paryāpta (developed) and aparyāpta (undeveloped). "4 In several Jaina texts three forms of the self are distinguished, i.e. External Self (bahirātmā), Internal Self (antarātma) and Supreme self (paramātmā)”.
33 Tattvārtha-sūtra, V.16 ** Gommațasāra, Jivakānda, V.72
Paramātmaprakāśa, 1.12.14, Samayasāra, V.25, Samadhitantra, 7.11.13