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94
विज्ञानघन एवैतेभ्यो भूतेभ्यः समुत्थाय तान्येवानुविनश्यति न च प्रेत्य संज्ञाऽस्ति ।
Indrabhūti understood the passage as denying the existence of jīva (atman) and life after death and thus propounding materialism. Mahāvīra who knew better explains it resorting to vijñānavāda. Paṭa-vijñāna, ghaṭa-vijñāna, etc, arising from the bhūtas (objects pata, ghata, etc.) vanish away when pata, ghata, etc. vanish but as vijñāna-santati it ever continues to exist.
STUDIES IN JAIN LITERATURE
The traditional, and shall we say authentic, interpretation of this sentence as given by Sankarācārya is however, as follows:
"Arising from out of these elements one vanishes away into them. When he has departed there is no more knowledge."
The confusion arises due to the seeming contradiction that the Self is pure intelligence, and again, when one has departed there is no more knowledge. The same fire cannot be both hot and cold.
Śamkarācārya points out that Brahman, the pure intelligence, remains unchanged, that it does not pass out with the destruction of elements, but the individual due to avidya is overcome.
(ii) अस्तमिते आदित्ये याज्ञवल्क्य चन्द्रमस्यस्तमिते, शान्तेऽग्नौ, शान्तायां वाचि, किंज्योतिरेवायं पुरुष: ? आत्मज्योतिरेवायं सम्राडिति होवाच । -Com. on gāthā no-1598
In the course of debate between Indrabhūti (who later becomes the first Gaṇadhara) and Mahävīra, the latter asserts that even in the absence of elements knowledge exists and in support of his view he cites the above sentence from Veda (Upaniṣad): Bṛhadāraṇyaka (4.3.6). The sentence means :
When the Sun has set, O Yājñavalkya, and the moon has set, and the fire has gone out and speech has stopped, what light does a person here have? The self, indeed, is his light, O King, said he.
In this sentence puruşa means ātman and jyotiḥ means 'knowledge'. The purport of this sentence is: When all external light is gone out, there exists light in the self and light is nothing but knowledge. So knowledge is not the attribute or property of elements (bhūtas).
"This self is present in all the states of waking, dream and sleep. It is the light different from one's body and organs and illumines them though it is itself not illumined by anything else".
(iii) पुरुष एवेदं सर्वं यद्भूतं यच्च भव्यम्, उतामृतत्वस्येशानो यदन्नेनातिरोहति ।
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-Rgveda 10. 90.2; Śvetāśvatara. 3.15
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