Soul Science Part 01

Author(s): Parasmal Agrawal
Publisher: Kundakunda Gyanpith

Page 57

Soul Science : Samayasāra by Jain Ācārya Kundakunda
experience of the soul is called the Bhāva Mokşa. (Analogy: A prisoner when comes out of the jail, then the act of physical freedom is called Dravya freedom, and his psychic experience of the freedom is called Bhāva freedom.)
Now we come to the concept knowing the nine elements from the real point of view'. One may ask: 'Is it not sufficient to know the soul alone from the real point of view?
The answer of this question would be very useful. For the purpose of having SamyagDarśana, or for knowing the soul, we need an understanding of all nine elements so that they help in understanding the soul very clearly. When we are to separate oranges and lemons placed in a basket then we need an understanding of lemons as well as oranges to the extent that we can differentiate the two. Similarly, the understanding of each of these elements helps in visualizing its difference with the soul. The realization of what the soul is not is also a part of knowing 'what the soul is'.
When we buy a residential house or a piece of land/plot/lot then the map of the property shown in the official sale deed document not only shows the main property but also shows the neighboring plots/houses/streets, etc. The description of neighboring houses serves a definite purpose. Each boundary in the related direction serves a purpose of highlighting the location of the main property. In the map of India, Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, the neighboring countries Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, etc., are also shown. Here also the purpose behind showing other countries or ocean is to highlight the location of India.
The same analogy may be used for the soul (Jiva) and other elements. In the vision/picture/map of a SamyagDrști the soul remains highlighted and the concept of all other elements serves a purpose of highlighting the soul. The Ācārya calls such map/ vision/understanding as a knowing of nine elements from the real point of view.
Let us take another example of extracting pure gold from the gold mine. One needs an understanding of gold, soil of the