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Tirthankara Vardhamana Mahavira
and Upayāga (horme) while body is unconscious (jada). The existence of the self is a presupposition. But from the point of view of pure knowledge, omniscient cognition, “the self is pratyaksa to me, just as your doubt is pratyakşa". Such cognition is pure, “Clear and distinct” free from 'rāgadveśa' attachment and aversion.27 Indrabhuti was again tormented by the doubt whether, just as the modes of self in the experiences in the empirical world are not permanent, so also the empirical self is impermanent. Mahavira, explained the distinction between pure self (ātman) and empirical self (Bahirätman). The self is pure and perfect, it is eternal; it is indestructible. We have referred to the problems in brief. The doubts of Indrabhuti Gautama were cleared. He was satisfied. The great scholar became the disciple of Mahavira with his five hundred followers. He became a pravraja. He was designated the first Gaşadhara of Bhagavän Mahavira. Agnibhuti got his doubts cleared about the doctrine of karma. "O, Agnibhuti "Karma is praiyak sa to me, the omniscient one, just as your doubt is pratyakşa to me. 28 Mahavira convinced Agnibhuti about the principle of karma as the operating principle in the shaping of our personality. Then Vayubhuti presented his doubts about the relation of the body as material and consciousness and self as different principle. Can it not be said, asked Váyubhuti, that consciousness and what we call our self is nothing but the product of the material elements of the body, and consciousness as the product of the metabolic changes in the body, just as the mixture, of the ghataki flower and gaggery gives rise to intoxicating liquor? The soul and consciousness are not different from the body. Therefore, could we not say that when the body is destroyed, the soul is also destroyed ? Mahavira said that the soul is different from the body. The soul cannot be created by the combination of the material elements. Each element of the components cannot be considered to have the characteristics of a substance different from the material elements, Otherwise we could get oil from sand also.29 The Ātman is different from body and sense-organs. It is eternal. It is indestructible. It is the spiritual substance, Mahavira explained the permanence of the self on the basis of the memory and recognition of the previous births.30 Vayubhuti was satisfied and with great reverence for the master, he took the vows of pravraja along with
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