Studies in Jainism

Author(s): Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta
Publisher: Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta

Page 54

JAINISM: ITS PHILOSOPHY AND ETHICS
45
with touch, taste, and smeli. Bees represent the fourth class with sight in addition to the three. Higher animals represent the fifth class having in addition the sense of hearing. Of course, man represents the highest of these classes, having mind in addition to the five senses.
SAMSARA AND MOKŞA
Again, Jivas are of four main groups according to the four gatis (states of existence): devas or divine beings, naras or human beings, narakas or denizens of hell, and tiryaks or the lower animals and the plant world. These four beings constitute samsara, which is the result of karmic bondage, according to which a particular Jiva will be born in any one of the gatis. Mokṣa or salvation consists in escaping from the samsăric cycle of births and deaths in any one of these four gatis and reaching that safe haven where there is no birth and death. The Jiva that reaches this stage beyond samsara attains the goal and realizes the Truth. It is pure Jiva or Atman, otherwise known as siddha jiva. As long as a Jiva is in samsara, it is bound by karmic shackles which lead to the building up of a body for it, and the purity of its nature and strength of knowledge have no chance of complete manifestation. Its knowledge is limited, and nature deformed, according as it is bound by various karmas. Since there is no scope for its pure nature to manifest itself, it mainly depends upon the sense-organs as to instruction and acquiring knowledge, and its life is mainly determined by its environment consisting of objects presented to the senses. Naturally, it is attracted by the pleasures derived from the sense objects and repulsed by contrary feelings. Till the proper time comes, when it is able to realize its heritage of nobility and purity, it remains immersed in these sense pleasures which only make it move from one birth to another, from one gati to another, in an unending series of births and deaths.
AJIVA OR ACETANA DRAVYAS
The dravyas which belong to the non-living class, the ajiva dravyas, are: pudgala, dharma, adharma, ākāśa, and kāla-matter, the principle of motion, the principle of rest,