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Concept of Nikṣepa in Jaina Philosophy : 57 (i) Jña-śarira, (ii) Bhavya-sarira and (iii) Tadvyatirikta2 Jña-śarīra or Jñāyaka-śarīra is that body through which the soul (Ātman) knows. When we see the dead body of a learned man, we say 'he was a learned man'. Here it is jña-śarīra no-āgama-dravyaniksepa. When the present embodied soul is to be a learned man in future, it is called bhavya-śarīra. For instance, by observing the lustrous qualities of the body and characteristics of the child Devadatta, we proclaim that he would be a learned Devadatta. This is bhavya-śarīra no-āgama dravya-nikṣepa. These two types of niksepa lay emphasis on body of the soul, which is only the medium. In the third, the emphasis is not so much on the body, but on the bodily activities, like movement of the hands etc. For instance when an ascetic is preaching, he may make gesture with hands. These gestures are tad-vyatirikta no-āgama-dravyanikṣepa.
The Jñāyaka-śarīra-no-karma is further divided into three subcategories i.e. Bhūta, Vartamāna and Bhāvi.
(i) Bhūta: On the basis of past body (last birth) to call a present embodied soul as jñātā (knower), e.g. to call the body of Mārīca as Bhagavāna Mahāvīra on the basis of his last birth, is bhūta-noāgama-dravya-nikṣepa. (ii) Vartamāna: to call the present body of that same jñātā as jñātā, is vartamāna-no-āgama-dravya-nikṣepa. (iii) Bhāvi: If the same embodied soul is called jñātā keeping in view the existence of his body in future, is bhāvi-no-āgama-dravyanikṣepa. Out of past, present and future body of the soul, the past body is of three23 types:
a) Cyuta (Released body after complete fruition of Age-determiningkarma (Āyușya-karma).
