________________
138
PROBLEM OF AVIDYA
[ch.
the ultimate cause of this obscuration leads to the postulation of avidya which, in Saivism, is regarded as a positive entity, called mala (taint or contamination), whose essential function is to reduce the inherent powers—such as omniscience, omnipotence, absence of desires and freedom from spatial and temporal limitations-of the soul to their minimum. Under the stress of mala, the soul loses its freedom of consciousness and will and is known as anu (atomic) because of the reduction of its innate powers to anutva (atomic measure). It has lost its sivatva (perfection) and is known as pašu (animal). The mala that reduces the powers of the soul to anutva (atomicity) is known as āņavamala. This is the most fundamental form of pāśa (trap that binds the soul to the wheel of worldly existence). There are other forms of pāśa as well. Let us study in brief the nature of these forms.
Let us begin with the mala-pāśa, the fundamental function whereof has been just stated. Mala-pāśa is a unitary entity with manifold powers. It obscures the power of consciousness and the freedom of will. It lies mixed up with the soul. Even as the husk lies mixed up with rice and is the cause of the further production of root, sprout etc. of rice, exactly so the mala lies mixed up with the soul and is the cause of its ever-repeating embodied mundane existence. It can, however, be disentangled from the soul, thereby enabling it to regain its divine nature, even as the dark colour of copper can be removed from it resulting in its restoration to its pristine nature of pure gold. Mala is beginningless and is responsible for the paśutva (animality) of the soul” which is potentially of the nature of Siva with unlimited consciousness and power. It is the existence of this mala that justifies the Divine Will of Siva to actuate the evolution of the material stuff for the sake of those souls that are associated with it." Mala is uncaused, constant and eternal. It is one, but because of its varied powers it can cover the different souls so that the emancipation of one soul does not involve the emancipation of all others.
Next we come to the second form of pāśa called karma-pāśa. The obscured and suppressed omnipotence (sarvakartytva) of the soul, associated with mala, finds expression in imperfect activities of the body, the sense-organ of speech and mind, which lead to the acquisi1 Cf. eko hy anekaśaktir dỊk-kriyayoś chádako malo pumsāni
tuşakambukavaj jñeyas tāmrasritakälimăvad vă.--TP, p. 56. 2 athā 'nädi-malaḥ pumsām pasutvam parikīrtitam.-Sataratnasangraha, p. 36.
3 Cf. evam māyāyāḥ Sivecchāvasād avāpasya prasavābhimukhabhāvasya kalādi-kāryādeś ca tan-(malarūpam pankam) nimittam iti-Ibid.
4 Cf....... tasmān na karmavat pravähānäditvam malasya. kintu kāranäbhāvād evā 'naditvam māyāvat-Ibid. (Commentary), p. 37.
malasyai 'katve 'pi tadīyāväraka-saktinam anantyāt tadāvāryāņām api bhedad nai 'kamuktau sarvamuktiprasangaḥ--Ibid. (Commentary), p. 38.
Jain. Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
