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192
TATTVĀRTHA SŪTRA
and should be learnt from there.
(3) The agurulaghutva for which interpretation is above offered in the first para pertains exclusively to a soul, but that which is going to be described just now pertains to all the substances—jīvas as well as ajīvas. The question is : If a substance is by nature liable to undergo transformation then why does it not sometimes happen that a substance of one type should transform itself into a substance of another type ? Similarly, there arises another question : If the various capacities or qualities residing in a substance go on producing transformations appropriate to themselves then why does it not happen that some one of these capacities crosses the limit of the definite stream of transformations appropriate to itself and produces transformations that are appropriate to another such capacity ? So also there arises a third question : In the case of various capacities posited in a substance why does it not happen that giving up their fixed concomitance they scatter away all round ? All these three questions are answered in terms of the quality agurulaghu. In the case of all the substances this quality enjoys the status of a restrainer on account of which one type of substance does not become a substance of another type, one quality does not perform the function appropriate to another quality, the qualities characterized by a fixed mutual concomitance do not turn away from one another.
Even in the absence of a very clear support of authoritative texts I gave thought to the last of the above interpretations of the quality agurulaghu. At the same time I was in search of a corroboration for it. In case somebody made from me an enquiry in this connection I would offer the above interpretation but eagerness to get at a corroboration was nevertheless ever awake. When the time came for writing the present note. I suddenly came accross the booklet 'Śrī Jainasiddhanta-Praveśikā' by the late Gopaldasji Baraiya. In this Sri Baraiyaji too has expressed a similar idea. It can therefore be said that to this extent my idea has received a corroboration. And hence I make a mention of the fact here. Let further investigation be made by the specialists. Śrī Baraiyaji on his part was an extra-ordinary connoiseur of Jaina philosophy.
A reasoning similar to the one above offered in support of positing the quality agurulaghu is offered in support of the bodies dharmāstikāya and adharmāstikāya admitted in the Jaina tradition. From a comparative standpoint that is worth knowing. Since the physical and
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