Outlines of Jaina Philosophy

Author(s): Mohanlal Mehta
Publisher: Jain Mission Society Bangalore

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OUTLINES OF JAINA PHILOSOPHY possesses it separately. The intoxicating nature of wine is not absent in those objects by which it is produced. Intoxication is not a mere by-product. It is systematically produced by those objects in which it exists implicitly. The patent nature of intoxication is merely a manifestation of its latent nature. It is not a product which is quite strange. It is not a miracle but an order. Hence, consciousness cannot be ascribed to the body. All the spiritual qualities reside in a separate conscious substance. A thing which is absolutely non-existent cannot come into existence like sky-flower or a horn on the head of a hare. A thing which is existent cannot be absolutely non-existent iike the material elements. If consciousness is absolutely non-existent, it can never come into existence. It exists in the soul because the soul is the principle of consciousness.
Fourthly, a person who does not accept the existence of soul, annot make a negative judgment in the case of an absolutely non-existent object. Even the existence of sky-flower is not absolutely negative, for both sky and flower exist. The conjunction (samyoga ) of sky and flower is non-existent, not the objects themselves. Hence, the negation of soul itself proves the existence of soul. If there is no soul, whose negation is this?
Fifthly, the word jiva is synonymous with the word soul. This word 'jiva' is significant, for it has a derivation ('nyutpatti') and it is a singular whole ('siddha pada'). Whatever is a singular whole and has a derivation is here seen to be one having a meaning. Pitcher, etc., may be mentioned as instances; so is the word 'jiva'. Therefore, it, too, has a meaning. What is not significant and has no meaning, is wanting in derivation, and besides, it is not a singular whole. 'Dittha,''sky-flower', etc., are words of this type ; for the former has no derivation, whereas the latter is not a singular whole. Such is not the case with the word 'jiva'. Therefore, it is significant and has a meaning.2 This meaning is nothing but the concept of soul. This argument is etymological in nature. DEFINITION OF SOUL
The defining characteristic of a soul is jīvatta which means 'cetanā'. When we use the word consciousness as the criterion of
1 Sastra-vārtā-samuccaya, 76. 2 Višeșāvasyaka-bhāsya, 1575.