Studies in Jainism

Author(s): M P Marathe, Meena A Kelkar, P P Gokhle
Publisher: Indian Philosophical Quarterly Publication Puna

Page 51

STUDIES IN JAINISM
S. S. Barlingay :
There is a difference between a philosophic approach and a scientific approach, or a logical approach and a physical approach. In the paper substance is defined as that which can enter into proposition as a subject, never as a predicate or relation. Now this will not be a physical definition of a thing. If this kind of definition and physical definition are confused, we are likely to go wrong.
Many of our problems arise on account of translations. For example, prakrti is translated as matter or primordial matter. I think we are not really justified in translating prakrti as primordial matter and pudgala as matter and so on.
Further, we usually emphasise similarities and call it a comparative philosophy——say of Jaina philosophy and other philosophies. But what about differences? We really want to know if Jaina theory of matter is different from other theories of matter and if it is different, in what way it is different.