Jethalal S. Zaveri
Prof. Muni Mahendra Kumar
jῑve kammaṃ baddhaṃ puṭṭhaṃ cedi vavahāraṇayabhaṇidaṃ.
suddhaṇayassa du jῑve abaddhapuṭṭhaṃ havadi kammaṃ.. 73
(Jῑve kammaṃ baddhaṃ puṭṭhaṃ ca) The bondage and extreme proximity of the soul and karma is said to be empirical aspect, (du jῑve kammaṃ abaddhapuṭṭhaṃ havadi suddhaṇayassa) but from the transcendental aspect there is neither bondage nor proximity.
Annotations:
The author further emphasizes the non-absolutist realism by concluding that whatever has been said and held in the preceding verses, the truth is free from all absolutism and must therefore, be viewed from both empirical as well as transcendental aspects.
The cosmic space is filled with individual souls as well as karmic matter. They thus co-exist in a state of extreme proximity and mix together like milk and water by the mere fact of contiguity. Thus, empirically, karmic atoms which have a special affinity towards soul, settle down with the soul and form a bondage. The bondage is thus an inevitable result of contiguous co-existence.[1] Transcendentally the soul has no innate attraction towards karmic matter because if an active influence on the part of soul is assumed, direct causal interaction between the soul and matter becomes inevitable. So the intimate contact between the two substances is due to localization and each one retains its own pure substance-hood eternally.[2] Co-existing with the soul, the karmic matter constantly undergoes modification and manifests as modes of karma such as knowledge-obscuring. Both soul and karmic matter are basically self-determined in their respective modifications.
The beginningless worldly state of the soul has radically distorted its attributes [though not its substance] and it possesses emotions and passions which produce a gluey condition for the karmic matter to adhere to. But this adherence or corruption can be ended by a prescribed process comparable to the process of distillation.
The principle of contiguity is explained by the analogy of the casket, filled with collyrium powder (black eye-salve), being blackened by mere contact. "Añja nacūrṇapurṇa saṃvṛṭya ka naya".
The analogy of the sea-water and the process of distillation will perhaps, go a long way to explain the inherent purity of the soul. It is a matter of common knowledge that any amount of pure water can be obtained by the process of distilling sea-water, that is, the product of distillation of highly polluted sea-water is pure H2 0. Basically this is possible only because though eternally polluted by various foreign materials, water never loses its inherent constitution and nature viz., H2 0 (two atoms of hydrogen chemically combined with one atom of oxygen) and which can be recovered by distilling it. Thus long contiguity with alien materials has no effect on the ultimate waterhood though empirically many of its attributes/properties were drastically changed and it was rendered unfit for human consumption. Thus from the ultimate aspect sea-water is identical with pure water but empirically both are radically different. Phenomenon of rain is the natural process of the distillation of sea-water.
