Samayasara

Author(s): Kundkundacharya, Jethalal S Zaveri
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

Page 34

Samayasära
Introduction/Premble to Chapters I & II
This can be imporved and extended further.
The following special terms in these chapters need further explanation: 1. Siddha (Savvasiddhe) - Metempiric soul.
The author begins the book with traditional obeisance to Siddhas. The term literally means “one who has achieved the ultimate consummation of the goal”. Thus it refers to those souls who have fully attained self-realization and disembodied state of existence. They are free from the cycle of rebirths, once and for ever. The term savvasiddhe employed by the author implies multiplicity of such souls and is meant to emphasize the Jain conception of emancipated state. Though all emancipated souls are totally identical to one another, they do not fuse into a singularity. Each soul retains its individuality in this state and is, therefore, numerically different from the others.
The author also mentions several unique attributes of this state:
(a) dhuvain implies unchanging eternal existence. Except for some peculiar self-interaction, which is a characteristic of all reals, the metempiric soul is not subject to modification due to an external influence.
(b) acavalam implies total freedom from the cycle of rebirths (transmigration).
amala (an alternate reading for acala) implies total freedom from corruption or pollution by an alien.
(c) anupama implies without parallel or comparison. The transcendental glory of the siddhas transcends everything in the worldly life and there is nothing which can be used as a parallel or comparison. 2. Svasamaya, parasamaya - The term samaya means the Self. Since the chapter would deal with two states of the self (both states being real in proper context), this term is given two adjectives denoted by prefixed-sva' (own) and 'para' (alien). Thus svasamaya indicates the pure self unencumbered by anything external, while parasamaya implies impure self corrupted by alien substance.
3
.
-