Soul Science Part 01

Author(s): Parasmal Agrawal
Publisher: Kundakunda Gyanpith

Page 45

Soul Science : Samayasāra by Jain Ācārya Kundakunda
deal with all kinds of worldly sufferings. He knows that such realization would be very much powerful in reducing our worldly sufferings. ण वि होदि अप्पमत्तो ण पमत्तो जाणगो दु जो भावो। एवं भणंति सुद्धं णादो जो सो दु सो चेव।।6।। Na vi hodi appamatto na pamatto jāņago du jo bhāvo. Evam bhaṇanti suddham ņādo jo so du so ceva. 116 11 नापि भवत्यप्रमत्तो न प्रमत्तो ज्ञायकस्तु यो भावः । एवं भणंति शुद्धं ज्ञातो यः स तु स चैव।।6।।
The knower (Iñāyakabhāva), i.e., the soul is neither attentive (Apramatta) in the Self nor non-attentive (Pramatta) in the Self. in this way the soul is called pure. And the knower (soul) that is known is (always] one and the same. [6]
Annotation
This stanza narrates the soul from Niscaya Naya (i.e., the Real point of view). With this point of view, a soul is neither impure nor it undergoes the purification procedure. The impurity associated with the soul is not the soul. In this sense the soul is always pure. From this point of view, a soul is a soul, nothing else. It is knower, it was knower and it would always remain a knower.
In this stanza, two new words have been introduced: (1) Apramatta (2) Pramatta. In Jain philosophy, 14 stages of the spiritual growth of a soul have been described. The final stage of Siddha (a liberated soul) is attained immediately after reaching 14th stage. These stages are technically known as Gunasthāna. Guņasthāna literally means the position in the merit. For a rigorous and accurate description of Gunasthāna one needs to refer to the related scriptures (e.g., Gommațasāra). However, for an approximate idea of the Guņasthāna concept just sufficient to introduce Pramatta and Apramatta terms of this stanza, the following brief description is worth noting: A monk who has realization of the Self and does not have sensual desires and