Jainism from the View Point of Vedantic Acaryas

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

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Śri Sankarācārya's views on Jainism
एष एकस्मिन्नपि जन्मनि कौमारयौवनस्थविरेषु दोषः । B.S.B., II.II.34). The Jainas may explain away this difficulty by saying that the soul has infinite parts which are capable of being compressed in a small body and of being expanded to fill the space in a large body like a light of a lamp, which is kept in a small pot, comprises itself and kept in a big hall is expanded ( स्यादेतत् । अनन्तावयवो जीवः । तस्य ते एव अवयवा अल्पे शरीरे संकुचेयुः, महति च विकसेयुः fa B.S.B., II.II.34).
Śankara argues that the Jainas have to explain, whether there is any obstruction to the different parts of the soul becoming concentrated at the same place or not. Should there be any impediment, the infinite parts will not be contained in the same limited place, and even if there is no obstruction, then all the parts can very well be accommodated in the place occupied by a single part, so that there will be no possibility of increase in magnitude. As a result, the predicament will arise of the embodied soul becoming atomic in dimension. In other words, if the infinite particles of the soul occupy different places, they cannot be contained in a small body, and if they occupy the same place, that is the place occupied by one particle only, the size of the soul will always in all cases, be very minute or atomic (तेषां पुनः अनन्तानां जीवावयवानां समानदेशत्वं प्रतिहन्यते वा न वा इति वक्तव्यम् । प्रतिघाते तावत् न अनन्तावयवाः परिच्छिन्ने देशे संमीयेरन् । अप्रतिघातेऽपि एकावयवदेशत्वोपपत्तेः सर्वेषामवयवानां प्रथिमानुपपत्तेः जीवस्य YES: B.S.B., II.II.34). Besides, there is no reason why should one believe in the particles being
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