Philosophy In Jain Agams: Body Pervasiveness of the Soul

The Indian philosophy is a spiritual philosophy. It has contemplated about physical elements within such contemplations the concept of ātmā came into existence. With the acceptance of the soul or ātmatattva, a question is bound to arise as to where does the soul reside? In relation to the soul, the philosophers have discussed the size of ātmā tattva. There are three conceptions in the context of the size of ātma tattva.

• Jaghanya (minimum) size -atom like existence of soul
• Madhyama (medium) size -thumb, finger and body pervasive existence of soul etc.
• Utkṛṣṭa (maximum) size -all pervasive existence of soul

Conception of Heretic Traditions

All the above said three conceptions regarding the size of soul are also found in the Upaniṣad literature. The soul has been considered smaller than the atom in Maitri Upaniṣad.^[1] The size of the soul is deemed as a grain of rice or barley in Bṛhadāraṇyaka.^[2] The soul is expressed as thumb-sized in Kaṭhopaniṣad.^[3] According to some other conceptions, soul is palm-sized.^[4] According to Kośītakī Upaniṣad, as sword resides in its barrel and fire in fireplace in the same way the soul is pervaded in the whole body, from toe to head.^[5] Soul is presented as an omni-present element in Munḍakopaniṣad.^[6] When the soul went beyond explanation, then it was said that, it is smaller than the smallest and greater than the greatest.^[7] All Vedic philosophies including Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika^[8] consider that the soul to be omni-present. Except Shankara, all the commentators of Brahma Sūtra i.e. Rāmānuja etc. consider brahmātmā as omni-present and the embodied soul as atom - sized. Cārvāka considers consciousness as body-sized and Buddhism also accepts pudgala (soul) as body-sized.^[9]