Dr. Samani Mangal Pragya
According to the Jain philosophy, jīva is of two types - liberated and worldly. The liberated souls are free from karmas. In that situation they are settled in their intrinsic nature. Natural qualities of soul are perfect knowledge, perfect intuition, firm investigation to move, non-physical, devoid of having the tendency of aggregating or reducing the space units and unhindered powers are eight qualities as expressed. Aṭala-avagāhana means there cannot be any change the units of the soul. The form, in which they are settled, remains the same forever. Jain philosophy believes that the body which the soul owns prior to the liberation, 2/3 of it remains after salvation. The hollow part of the body is removed. In the birth prior to liberation the kārmaṇa body remains attached to the soul. Therefore, contraction and expansion occurs in the units of soul. In the liberated state, there is no existence of the kārmaṇa body. Therefore, contraction and expansion is not possible in the pure state of soul.
The worldly soul is occupied within a dimension which is as big the body it occupies with the units of soul spreading or adjusting themselves accordingly. On the basis of this acceptance, Jain philosophy believes that the soul is body - sized and not atom - sized or omni - present. Soul has innumerable units. Therefore, it is as huge as the universe due to its ability of expansion. Only at the time of kevalī samudghāta, the soul becomes all pervasive for one instant of time.[1]
Dharma, adharma, lokākāśa and a jīva are equal from the perspective of the number of the pradeśas.[2] From the perspective of expansion, they are not equal. Dharma, adharma, lokākāśa are all pervasive with the exception of the soul. These three are motionless and passive. There is no activity, reception and elimination. They do not have any kind of reactive mode hence there is no change in their size. In a worldly soul, because of the assimilation of pudgala, reactions occur repeatedly which means that its size does not remain the same. Contraction and expansion occurs incessantly. Soul occupied with kārmaṇa body becomes the subject of contraction and expansion. Soul is similar in all minuscule and huge living beings. There is a difference in the body of an ant and an elephant but their souls are identical.[3] In the worldly state, the jīva contracts and expands according to its body. In Bhagavatī, it has been explained with an example of a lamp. The lamp's light spread all over the room when it is placed in a big room and on the other hand if it is placed in a small place like under the lid etc. its light spreads only within that limited space. Similarly, the soul expands itself, according to the size of the body it possesses.[4] From the above description of Bhagavatī, it is proved that the worldly soul is body - sized.
In Nayacakra too, the soul has been considered as body -sized except at the time of samudghāta.[5] The omni-present state of soul is a rare event. Generally, the soul is body-sized. The philosophies which count the omnipresence of soul, in their opinion too, knowledge, happiness, sorrow and other conditions are experienced by the soul only through the body. They cannot be experienced by the soul through the units of soul spread out of the body. The Naiyāyika philosopher Sridhara, said in Nyāya Kandalī -
śarvagatatvepyātmano dehapradeśe jñātṛtvaṃ, nānyatra,
śarīrasyopabhogāyatanatvāt, anyathā tasya vaiyarthyāditi[6]
Whether the worldly soul is accepted as all pervasive or body sized, the experience of the worldly conditions is attained only by the soul possessed by the body. The characteristics of the soul like knowledge etc. are found in the body alone. So, the soul is body sized and not all pervasive.[7] Post āgamic Jain philosophers proved this fact through the means of valid cognition like inference etc. Thus, Jain philosophers have unanimously accepted that soul's extension is body pervasive.
'Soul' has always remained at the centre of discussion in the philosophical world. Now, science is also trying to go in the same direction. Present day scientists think that there is some power which operates this brain. Psychology and Para-psychology are already working in this field. A thought on the soul means a thought on existence itself. When an individual becomes aware of the natural existence of the self, he gets detached from sinful deeds automatically. The individual, familial, societal, national and international problems can find solution in self-realization.
The soul is pure in its original form but it is bound to the karmas in the worldly state. Because of karmas, the soul transmigrates in the world. To explore the pure nature of the soul, is the main aim of spirituality. It can be achieved by the destruction of karma. It is also necessary to understand the process of karma-destruction from various dimensions. After this discussion on soul we would deal with the concept of karma in the next chapter.
