________________
200
Reals in the Jaina Metaphysics
same way maintains that Kṣiti or Pṛthvi is the constituent element of Body which is characterised by smell
पार्थिवगुणान्तरोपलब्धेः । ३-२-२९ न्यायसूत्रम्
although : or assistance of other elements in the building up of the Body is not denied by Vātsāyana. We have not met with any elaborate examination of the foregoing views about the elemental basis of Body in the Jaina treatises. The Jaina's no doubt admit the four different elements (which they call Dhatu's),-Pṛthvi, Ap, Tejas and Vayu; but as we have seen, according to them, these socalled elements are not ultimate. The ultimate matter is one, the Pudgala, which according to them is characterised by four attributes of smell, liquidness, visibility and touch. Body is made up of Karma, a mode of Pudgala after all, in which all the above four attributes of the primal matter, are necessarily found, this is perhaps the Jaina explanation which thus steers clear of the foregoing academical disputations.
KINDS OF BODIES
Besides of Audarika or the gross physical body, the Jaina's admit four other kinds of bodies. To the celestials and the infernals, they say, belongs a Body which they call Vaikriyika and which is said to be endowed with eight superhuman powers e.g. continuing as one, becoming many at the same time, assuming subtleness, expanding to a considerable magnitude, changing forms etc. etc. Another kind of Body is admitted by the Jaina's, called the Ähāraka, literally meaning 'assumed'. It is so called because such a Body is evolved by a sage from within his Audārika or gross Body and is sent to the preceptor for the solution of some doubts arising in the sage or for some similar good purposes. In Indian non-Jaina systems also, Bodies of gods are supposed to have superhuman powers. Some kinds of Aharaka Bodies, again, seem to be supposed to belong to persons for some express purposes. In iii of the Para-paksa-nirjayādhyāya of the Samkhya Sūtra's, for instance, we are told of the Samkalpika (literally, 'born of will') Bodies
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
