Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra

Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 589

564
STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SÚTRA
[Ch. X
"Āyā siya ņāņe siya aņņāņe ņāņe puna niyamamāyā.”
Self-consciousness and outside objects are correlated. As the soul is endowed with the capacity of taking note of natural objects, it is the knower. It is also invariably self-awareness (darśana) and self-awareness is invariably the self itself (āyā niyamam daṁsaņe damsaņe niyamam āyā)." Relation of soul with speech, mind and body
This canonical work throws important light upon the relation of the soul with speech, mind and body by explaining their different characteristics. Speech and mind' are non-souls (i. e. matter) because they are endowed with form (corporeal) and are non-conscious (acitta) and non-living (ajiva). They are only intimately associated with the soul. But body is both soul and non-soul (matter) conscious and non-conscious, living and nonliving matter of beings and non-beings. This dual nature of body is due to its association or absence of association with the soul. The body undergoes various transformations such as (1) the gross physical (2) gross physical-mixed with translocation, (3) transformation (veuvvie), (4) transformation-cum-translocation, (5) translocation (āhārae) (6) translocation-cum-karmic and (7) karmic bodies.
It is further explained that the jiva (soul) engaged in eighteen kinds of sinful acts is not different from the jivātman, as some heretics who distinguished between jīva and jivātman were used to hold.
Pudgalāstikāya (Matter)
Ajīvadravya (non-living substance) is of various kinds the most visible form of which is matter (pudgala) which exists in different forms, such as, earth, water, fire, plant, physical bodies, etc. It is a tangible reality which exists along with the sensuous and supersensuous experiences in visible and invisible conditions. Its finest form is atom. There are many synonymous words of
1 Bhs, 13, 7, 493.
· 16, 13, 7, 494.
- 16, 17, 2, 597.