Some Jain Concepts and Conduct

Author(s): Sushma Singhvi
Publisher: B J Institute

Page 70

The Concept of Ātman]
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activities and the Prāņas (bodily powers) causing them. Jiva is supposed to perform all sorts of actions due to indriya prāņa (related to five sense), bala prāņa (three powers of body, speech and mind), āyu prāņa (possession of the allotted span of life during which the Jiva has to sustain a particular bodily form) and Švāsocchvāsaprāņa (powers of respiration) from vyavahāra naya. These four prāņas are constituted of pudgala dravya.28
But from niscaya naya Jiva dravya is characterized by Cetana and Upayoga. The above-mentioned four types of prānas are said to be the characteristics of Jiva from vyavahāra naya, as from niscaya naya. Jiva is not alive due to these Präņas in its purest form, however; it is not devoid of Jiva dravya. Kundakundācārya considers Jiva as one who is alive at present, shall be alive in future and had been alive in the past by virtues of the above mentioned four prāņas. These characteristics show that Jiva or Ātmadravya is eternal. Liberated soul does not have āyu prāņa etc. hence Kundakundācārya has emphasized that one who had lived in past by virtue of the four prāṇas is also a Jiva.
The terms Jiva and Ātman appear very frequently in the Jain-works. Characteristics and categories of Jiva and Ātman have been described at several places and it can be inferred that the terms Jiva and Ātman are synonyms representing the same dravya. However, it appears that each of them is associated with a particular connotation e.g. the five categories of Jiva depending upon the sense are no-where referred to as ekendriya Ātman etc. Similarly in Jaina-āgama it has been mentioned that one should concentrate three-fold activities into the soul i.e. Ātman but it has been no where mentioned that these activities should he concentrated into Jiva. The expression Jiva-sādhanā is no where used as an equivalent to Ātmasādhanā.
Jain-ācāryas have presented soul in its purest form as the cherished aim of the Jiva desiring salvation and has suggested