Reality English Translation of Sarvarthasiddhi

Author(s): S A Jain
Publisher: Jwalamalini Trust Chennai

Page 82

54 THE THREE INHERENT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOUL
is not a contradiction. From the point of view of the previous disposition, what activity was coloured by the passions, the same is supposed to be present conventionally owing to the presence of activity. And in the case of the omniscient without activity, there is no colouration owing to the absence of activity.
The three inherent characteristics are mentioned next. जीवभव्याभव्यत्वानि च
Il ll Jivabhavyābhavyatvāni ca 7. (The three are) the principle of life (consciousness), capacity for salvation and incapacity for salvation.
These three characteristics are inherent and are peculiar to the soul and are not found in other substances. How are these considered inherent? These do not depend on rise, subsidence, destruction or destruction-cum-subsidence of karmas. The principle of life is consciousness. The soul that will attain right faith etc. is called bhavya, that is one who is endowed with the capacity for salvation. And the soul that will not attain right faith and so on is called abhavya, that is one who is not endowed with the capacity for salvation. These three are the inherent qualities of the soul. Should not existence, permanence, having space-points, etc. be mentioned besides these three qualities? No. These have been included by the particle ca. If so the number three is contradicted. No. The distinctive characteristics which are inherent in the soul are three only. Existence etc. are common, as these apply to the souls as well as to the non-souls. So these are included separately by the particle ca. Since the soul is non-material, how are the dispositions of subsidence etc. applicable to the nonmaterial soul? These dispositions have reference to bondage of karmas. How can there be bondage of karmic matter with the incorporeal soul? It is possible because of the manifold nature of the soul. The soul is non-material in a non-absolutistic sense only. It is not true that the soul is only non-material. From the point of view of the modes in bondage, owing to the influence of karmas, the soul is corporeal in the embodied state.