________________
A SOURCE-BOOK IN JAINA PHILOSOPHY
appearance of the activity in the purus, but really the puruşa is not active.1 Gunas are necessary for the modifications of things in the prakṛti. Puruşa's presence is also necessary. Gunas are of the capacities of the production (prasavadharmi) and in this sense they are kartā. This is the causal meaning of the karta. Vacaspati Miśra has suggested that akartṛtva bhāva is present in the puruşa because puruşa himself is not directly responsible for the production of the things of the world."
In other sense puruşa may be considered to be akartā because he is not directly responsible for the variegated things of the world. But in another sense, we may say that prakṛti is kartā, but with the presence of puruşa which is responsible for the creation of the universe. When prakṛti comes in the vicinity of the purusa evolution starts, just as the iron filings get disturbed and are attracted towards the magnet in the presence of the magnet.
529
The evolution of the universe therefore depends in a sense on the co-operation of the puruşa and prakṛti. Puruşa is passive, it is the spectator, but the presence is necessary for creating the disturbance in the gunas in the prakṛti. As long as the prakṛti is not in the presence of puruşa the gunas are in a state of equilibrated tension. The moment the prakṛti comes into proximity of puruşa, there is a disturbance in the gunas and the evolution starts-starting from the mahat to the pañca nah ibūtas. We have already discussed the twentyfive principles of evolution which is the canvas of the universe. In this sense, we can say that puruşa or the atman according to the Sankhya is characterised by cetană and is both karta and bhoktā.
Thus we find that there are some prominent features common to both schools of philosophy although there are certain differences concerning the nature of prakṛti and the characteristics of pūruşa.
1 Sankhya saptati, Jayamangalā vyākhyā
Nirgunasya puruṣasyāprasavadharmitvādakartṛtvaṁ.
2 Aprasavadharmitvāccākartā Vācaspati Miśra. 3 Rajendrasuri Smāraka Grantha, pp. 335-343,
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
