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102 :: Structure and Functions of Soul in Jainism
knowledge and conation alone as generally understood, will not constitute the differentia of the jīva. “In the Tattvārthasūtra the definition of soul in the shape of upayoga is very liberal. It includes bliss and power in it.” On the contrary every attribute and its manifestation which evince consciousness can be held to be a differentiating element in the structure of the soul. There are other manifestations of the soul's attributes which are conscious but are not covered under conation and knowledge. The enumeration of consciousness as a distinct attribute by Devasena may be taken to mean an inclusion of the affective aspect of the conscious life. Affection, as modern psychology will also support the view, cannot be identified with conation or knowledge. Rājamala points to the same truth, when he says: “An attempt is made to include the affective side of the soul by introducing the consciousness of our actions and their fruitions."2 Thus our conclusion is that consciousness is not equivalent to conation and knowledge as is generally understood; nor can it be an independent attribute of the soul. It is the general implication of a number of attributes of the soul.
Controversy Regarding Conation and Knowledge
Consciousness or upayoga has been said to be of two kinds, i.e., conation and knowledge. Both of them are prehensions (grahana) of the objects by the subject. Nemicandra distinguishes between conation and knowledge by stating that conation is the prehension of the generality of the objects and knowledge is the prehension of the details (ākāra) of the object. When the subject and the object come in contact, there is conation and then follows the comprehension of the object. Nemicandra further states: “The indescribable prehension by the soul of the mere
1. M.L. Mehta: Outlines of Jaina Philosophy, p. 45 2. Rajamalla: Parcădhyāyi, II, verse 195 3. Nemicandra: Dravyasangraha, verses 43, 44
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