Jainism from the View Point of Vedantic Acaryas

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

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Śri Rāmānujācarya and Jainism
material things like pot, etc. ( न च संकोचविकासरूपावस्थान्तरापत्यापि विरोधः परिहर्तुं शक्यते, विकारतत्प्रयुक्तानित्यत्वादिदोषguacefalfagmuraiflqugia | Śribhāṣya, II.II.33). The Jainas believe that the size of the soul in the state of release is permanent, because, it has not to take another birth. Liberation is end of cycle of birth and death. The soul and its size on release are both eternal. It is its natural size. If we accept this view, then the size of the soul cannot be different in the state of bondage also. Then, the size of the soul may not be the size of the body. (जीवस्य यदन्त्यं परिमाणं मोक्षावस्थायां तस्य पश्चाद्देहान्तरपरिग्रहाभावादवस्थितत्वादात्मनश्च मोक्षावस्थस्य तत्परिमाणस्य चोभयोर्नित्यत्वात्, तदेवात्मनः स्वाभाविकं परिमाणमिति पूर्वमपि तस्माद् अविशेष: स्यात् । अतः देहपरिमाणत्वमात्मनो न स्यात् । Sribhāsya, II. II.34).
Rāmānuja, in this way rejects the Jaina view and maintains that, the jiva is atomic in size. It is also not all-pervasive, otherwise, it would experience simultaneously the various pains and pleasures of all persons. It is one and single for each person and extremely minute like a monad or atom in size and it dwells in the heart of each person (Śrībhāṣya, II.III.25). Though the soul is very minute, and dwells in the heart, it extends through the whole body by means of its quality, viz., consciousness or knowledge. The soul spreads all over the body, not actually, but by the means of its quality, just as the light of things abiding in one place, such as gem, the Sun, and so on is seen to extend to many places, so the consciousness of the soul, dwelling in the heart pervades the entire body. Rāmānuja,
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