Jainism from the View Point of Vedantic Acaryas

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

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Sri Sankarācārya's views on Jainism
and middle as well. If the size of the soul in the condition of release is permanent, it logically follows that the initial and the intervening (before release) sizes also must be permanent, otherwise, there will be three different conditions of one and the same soul. Thus, the soul will have the size of one single body only, and it will not acquire any other inflated or deflated body. In other words, that the different bodies of the soul will have one and the same size and that the soul will not be required to enter into bigger and smaller bodies. The dimensions of the soul being the same in its three conditions, it must be either atomic (aņu) or large (mahān) and must not very according to the size of the body. In this way, the Jaina doctrine is inadequate and therefore, deserves to be rejected (अपि च अन्त्यस्य मोक्षावस्थाभाविनो जीवपरिमाणस्य नित्यत्वमिष्यते जैनैः । तद्वत् पूर्वयोः अपि आद्यमध्यमयोः जीवपरिमाणयोः नित्यत्वप्रसङ्गात् अविशेषप्रसङ्गः स्यात् । एकशरीरपरिमाणता एव स्यात् न उपचित- अपचित- शरीरान्तरप्राप्तिः । अथवा अन्त्यस्य जीवपरिमाणस्य अवस्थितत्वात् पूर्वयोः अपि अवस्थयोः अवस्थितपरिमाणः एव जीवः स्यात्; ततश्च अविशेषेण सर्वदैव अणुर्महान् वा जीवोऽभ्युपगन्तव्यो न शरीरपरिमाणः । अतः सौगतवत् आर्हतमपि मतमसंगतमिति
B.S.B., II.II.36).
In this way, by disapproving the possibility of the souls having the atomic size or the size of the body, Śankara is naturally driven further to the last alternative which states that the soul is all-pervading and infinite. It being all-pervading, it can both be atomic and infinite at the same time without any contradiction. The same supreme self appears to assume various forms of
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