Treatise on Jainism

Author(s): Jayantibhai S Sanghvi
Publisher: S J Sanghvi

Page 64

A Treatise on Jainism of life. The universe teems with infinite living forms. How to observe, analyse, and classify them ? This may be done in three different ways : (1) Soul-classes (Jiva Samasa). There are
obvious differences of body, sense and mind in different classes of souls. The body is primarily the basis of this classification. « his in Jainism is technically
called Soul classes (Jiva Samasa). (2) Soul-quest (Margana.) It comprises other
inner differences in species, sex, passion, knowledge, conation etc. In Soul-quest, the embodied condition of the soul, (i.e.) the mixed living and non-living condition
is primarily the basis. (3) Spiritual Stages (Gunasthan). They
concern the purely-inner progress of the soul. In these Spiritual Stages, the progress of the soul from ignorance and delusion to perfect self-absorption is traced.
Soul-classes (Jiva Samasa). From the protoplasm of the germ-cell to a full blown human-being, there is an infinite number of