Reals on the Jaina Metaphysics

Author(s): Harisatya Bhattacharya
Publisher: Shatnidas Khetsy Charitable Trust Mumbai

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Reals in the Jaina Metaphysics
or destruction. It is not hraua i.e. it is one whole and not composed of subtler parts. And finally it is not qat or controlled by any other foreign principle. The thinkers of the Sāmkhya school contend that besides the infinite number of conscious Reals, called Puruşa's by them, there is this -the other Real, the Prakști, which is the one uncaused cause of all non-psychical phenomena. They point out that all non-psychical things and phenomena are limited in some way; Mahat or Intelligence, for instance, is one; Ahamkāra or Egoism is one; the Subtle Elements are five; Senses are eleven; the Gross Elements are five. This shows that the ultimate cause of these must be one, all-pervasive Real, भेदानां परिमाणात्. The next argument is समन्वयात् . All nonpsychical phenomena are found to be characterised by three unstable and disproportionate attributes, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas; therefore, they must have as their ultimate cause, one Real in which these attributes will be in a state of equilibrium. It is next contended that every act is found to have an agent who is capable of doing it. The non-psychical phenomena which are all of the nature of products must refer to one producer which is capable of evolving them शक्तितः प्रवृत्तेश्च. The next Samkhya argument is FTTTT Fre a. The non-psychical phenomena are found to be Effects; they must have a Cause; for, every Effect has its Cause. And lastly, the Sāṁkhya thinkers argue 37fa HTTÓCUF4. At the time of the Pralaya or the final destruction of the world, all the phenomena of the three worlds, their gross objects and their subtler elements, all enter a state of 3fahrt in which they are undistinguishable. This state which is otherwise called 3faat is the state in which they lie in Pradhāna, undistinguished from it and from each other.
JAINA CRITICISM OF THE SAMKHYA THEORIES.
The Jaina Philosophers, as we have stated already, agree with the Sāṁkya theory about the plurality of conscious Reals but they reject the doctrine of the one, non-dual Praksti,