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The Soul and Consciousness :: 141
consciousness. Just as an acrobat cannot climb on his own shoulders, in the same way the self cannot know itself. The subject cannot accept itself as an object and so the soul also cannot became an object of its own knowing. We should remember that the above conclusion is based on an example which embodies only a partial truth. The Jaina holds that just as a lamp enlightens objects and itself simultaneously so also the soul comprehends the objects and itself at the same time. The lamp does not require another lamp to enlighten itself, and this shows that the subject can become an object of itself. Knowledge is also an entity of a similar type, hence it must be held to enlighten itself and its objects. When enlightenment of itself and the objects is the very nature of the soul, consciousness as well as self consciousness must emerge as consequent functions. Prabhācandra says: "...nothing can be contradictory to its own nature or identity, or the enlightenment of the objects and itself must also be held contradictory.” We have to probe deep into the nature of the soul to see whether it contains anything which may obstruct self consciousness. No such obstruction is seen in the way of consciousness of the self in terms of its attributes and modes. On the contrary the Jaina is of opinion that "in knowng there is the comprehension of the subject, the instrument and the process like that of the object."3
However Vidyānanda distinguishes between two aspects of knowledge. He says: “If it is said that knowledge comprehends objects and the self by the same identical nature or dharma, then there will be the inconsistency of the activity in the self, for that which is knowable, i.e., the soul is held to be absolutely non-distinct from the knower. There is no fault for those who hold the non-absolute theory of distinction."4 The idea is that if the soul is held to be
1. cf. Māņikyanandin: Parikṣāmukha-sūtra, 1.11 2. Prabhācandra: Nyāya-kumuda-candrodaya, p. 187 3. Māņikyanandin: Pariksămukha-sūtra, 1.9 4. Vidyānandin: Tattvārthasloka-vārtika, p. 125
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