________________
CHAPTER I
again elucidate this point with an illustration. A person whose aim is to obtain pure gold without any impurities will go on melting it a number of times till all the impurities completely disappear; but in the case of a person who does not want gold of such purity for making certain ornaments will not bother himself with such repeated processes of purifying it in the fire. He may be satisfied with two or three times of fire-purification since his aim is not to obtain gold of the sixteen-touch purity. Thus the object of the person determines the process of purification in the matter of gold. The analogy is applied in the context to the purification of the Self. Whether he adopts the pure point of view or the practical point of view depends upon the purpose in life adopted by the individual.
Here ends the piṭhikā or Introduction.
The author then proceeds to describe the nine padarthas or categories according to Jaina metaphysics.
भूदत्येणाभिगदा जीवाजीवा य पुण्णपावं च । आसवसंवर णिज्जरबंधो मोक्खो य सम्मत्तं ॥ १३॥ bhudattheṇabhigada jiväjiva ya punṇapāvam ca, asavasamvaranijjarabaṁdho mokkho ya sammattam (13) भूतार्थेनाभिगता जीवाजीवौ च पुण्यपापं च ।
आश्रवसंवरनिर्जरा बन्घो मोक्षश्च सम्यक्त्वम् ॥१३॥
23
13. Right belief is constituted by a clear comprehension, from the real point of view of the nature of the following categories:-Jiva (soul), Ajiva (non-soul), Punya (virtue), Papa (vice), Asrava (inflow of karmas), Samvara (stoppage of karmas), Nirjara (shedding of karmas), Bandha (bondage), and Mokşa (emancipation).
Jain Education International
COMMENTARY
The nine padarthas or categories are important because of their relevancy for understanding the life-history of the soul. Of these, the first two, jiva and ajiva, the soul and the non-soul, are fundamental categories and associated with each other from beginningless. time. The other seven categories, though they are enumerated on a par with the first two, according to the doctrine of nava-padarthas, must be recognised as resultant
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
