Jainism from the View Point of Vedantic Acaryas

Author(s): Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: B J Institute

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Jainism from the view point of Vedāntic Acāryas
in their primary sense, at the same time. Hence, the statement of aņutva (subtle, atomic) mentioned in the Śruti (scriptures) has to be understood as referring either to the difficulty of knowing the soul or else to its limiting adjuncts (B.S.B., II.III.29).
Similarly, Sankara points out the defects in the view of Jaina doctrine of size of the soul. He gives ten arguments to prove that size of the soul cannot be body size. If soul is of body size, it would be limited in extension, non-permanent and so like the pot, and other material things, it will be subject to destruction. If it becomes non-eternal then the question is who is bound and who is got liberated, because destruction of the body will be end of everything (शरीरपरिमाणतायां च सत्याम अकृत्स्नः असर्वगतः परिच्छिन्न आत्मा इत्यतः घटादिवत् अनित्यत्वमात्मनः
ARI B.S.B., II.II.34). Again, another difficulty would be, all bodies, in the world (i.e. human, animals, insect. etc.) have no fixed dimensions. The soul born as a man will asume the size of a human body. If the soul of a man is born as an elephant, as a consequence of its previous deeds, it will not pervade the whole of the elephant body, and when it is born as an ant or small insect, it will not be wholly contained in the body of the ant. (PruMTN a 3779fceraftiMaTa oitat Home परिमाणो भूत्वा पुनः केनचित् कर्मविपाकेन हस्तिजन्म प्राप्नुवन् न कृत्स्नं हस्तिशरीरं प्राप्नुयात् । पुत्तिकाजन्म च प्राप्नुवन्, न कृत्स्नः पुत्तिकाशरीरे F AI B.S.B., II.II.34). Similar will be the difficulty if we take into consideration the bodies of one and the same person, in his childhood, youth and old age. (417