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Jainism in Early Medieval Karnataka
on the twelve objects of meditation in the beginning stage. They include reflection on the fleeting nature of things, the sense of helplessness, the cycle of worldly transmigration, the loneliness of worldly sojourn, the distinctness of the soul from the body, the impure condition of the body, the nature of the universe, etc.1
The supreme object of meditation, according to Jaina philosophers, is the contemplation of the transcendental soul which is free from all blemishes and impurities. It is not the universal soul of the Vedanta but the pure and all-knowing soul in cach individual, circumscribed and obscured for the time being by the hindrances of human actions. It is essential to note here that Jaina philosophers clearly speak of three states of the soul, the outer soul (bahirātmā), inner soul (antaratma) and the transcendental soul (paramātmā). They agree with the famous teacher Kundakunda that the outer soul consists of the sense organs; the internal soul is the consciousness which distinguishes itself from the body; and the transcendental soul is the emancipated soul free from all impurities.5
Dhyana is broadly classified into two main categories; aprašastadhyāna (inauspicious) and prasastadhyāna (auspicious).* Whereas the former is the cause of mundane sufferings, the latter, the sole penance for removing them, leads to spiritual liberation. These two categories are further subdivided into four forms, namely the mournful (ārta), cruel (raudra), virtuous (dharma) and the pure meditation (sukladhyāna). The former two types of Jaina meditation should be avoided because they create sufferings and raise obstacles in the path of liberation,
1. Talastilala, pt. i, BK. ii, vv. 105ff, pp. 255ff;
Jüänärgata, ch 2, vv. 8ff, pp. 17ff;
Draya Sangraha, v. 35, p. 89.
2. Jürōrgara, ch. 32, v. 32, p. 314; Fogastre, v. 5, p. 370.
3. K. K. Handiqui, op. cit .p. 273.
4. Paramätnapraldia, p, 20; Samidhitantra, v. 4, p. 8.
5. K. K. Handiqui, op. cit., p. 273.
6. Jünürnata, ch. 25 v. 17, p. 256; Adipurāne, pt. i, ch. 21, v. 27, p.
477.
1. Sarcarthasiddhi, ch. 9, v. 8, p. 145; Tašastilaka, pt. ii, p. 393; Jäчā¬ rava, ch. 25, v. 20, p. 256.
