Society Epistemology And Logic In Indian Tradition

Author(s): Dharmchand Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharati Academy

Page 16

Society, Epistemology and Logic in Indian Tradition
'behave' towards one another in ways determined by their recognition of one another." Umāsvāti says: "Souls render service to one another." Nathmal Tatia explains Umāsvāti's statement and the commentaries of Umāsvāti/Umāsvāmī, Pujyapāda and Siddhasenagani as follows:
"Worldly souls influence each other through service that may be favourable or unfavourable, beneficial or harmful. They cannot live independently of one-another. They have to share their pleasure and pains with others. They create a common environment and live together in weal and woe.'
,,2
This explains a wider concept of society of all beings. It keeps all souls in the view, propounding their relationship which includes the society of human beings also.
2
Jaina canons describe the concept of six categories of worldly souls (saḍ-nikāya)3 and infinite number of souls. Jaina philosophy accepts every soul as an independent or separate entity. Every soul has its own identity. All the human beings also have their separate identity. Mutual interaction and relationship of these make a concept of society in Jaina philosophy and religion. In the Bodhapāhuḍa, the fourth chapter of the Aştapāhuḍa, Kundakunda says that the religion stated by tīrthankaras is beneficial for beings of all six categories.*
The central theme of Jaina religion and philosophy is spiritual purification, but it cannot be achieved without the
2
1
TS 5.21: parasparopagraho jīvānām.
Tatia (1994: 131).
3Ṣadnikāyas are six categories of worldly souls: prthvīkāyika (earth bodied beings), apkāyika (water bodied beings), taijaskāyika (fire bodied beings), vāyukayika (air bodied beings), vanaspatikāyika (vegetation) and trasakāyika (mobile beings with
two or more sense organs). For details see AS 1.1.2-7.
Bodhapāhuḍa, verse 60: chakkayahiyańkaramuttam.
4