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A SOURCE-BOOK IN JAINA PHILOSOPHY
completing or joining, 'gala' refers to dropping or finishing. The substance which has the characteristic of constantly integrating and disintegrating i.e, joining and separating, forming and separating is called pudgala, Tattvärtharājavārtika2, Tattvārthavṛtti of Siddhasena,3 Dhavala and the Harivamsapurāṇa have stated that due to the characteristic of integration and disintegration, the substance Pudgala is considered to be matter. Pudgala is that substance which can be divided and also combined. Pudgala has the attributes such as sparsa (touch), rasa (taste), gandha (smell) and varna (colour).
PUDGALA IS RUPI
In this sense, Pudgala is an object of sense-experience. As it has the attributes of rasa, gandha, etc. it is called rūpī or rūpavān (having form). The objects with form can be experienced and cognised through the sense-organs. Objects without form cannot be experienced through the sense-organs. For instance, substances like Jīva, Dharma, Adharma, Ākāśa and Kāla are formless and we cannot get the experience of these through the sense-organs.
A question arises, namely, that as the Pudgala has the attributes of rasa, gandha etc. can we say that these attributes are inherent attributes of the substance Pudgala or are they products of experience and imposed by the mind on substance?
The answer is, Pudgala has the attributes of rasa, gandha, etc. The sense-organs do not impose these attributes on matter. Matter has the inherent characteristics of these varna, rasa, etc. Without
1 Sabdakalpadrumkoṣa-Pūraṇāt pud galayatīti gālaḥ. Tattvärtharajavārtika 5, 1, 24
2
Pūraṇagalananyarthasaṁjñatvāt pudgalaḥ.
3 (a) Tattvarthavṛtti 5, 1-Pūraṇād galanācca pudgalāḥ. (a) Nyāyakośa, p. 502-Pūraṇād galanād iti pudgalāḥ.
4 Dhavala-Chavihasanthanam bahuvihi dehehi pūraditti galaditti
poggalā.
5 Harivaṁśapurana 7, 36
Varna-gandha-rasa-sparśaḥ-püranam galanam ca yat.
Kurvanti skandhavat tasmat pudgalāḥ paramānavaḥ.
6 (a) Tattvärthasūtra 5, 23-Sparśarasagandhavarnavantaḥ pudgalāḥ. (b) Bhagavati, 2, 10.
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