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SEN: SCHOOLS AND SECTS IN JAIN LITERATURE
95
earth, water fire, air, ease, pain and the soul are neither made nor commanded to be made, are not created and are of a permanent existence. There is nothing called slayer or the slain. When one with a sharp sword cleaves a head in twain no one thereby deprives another of life, a sword has only penetrated into the interval between seven elementary substances.
IV. TAJJIVATACCHARIRA-VĀDA
The five gross elements are the original causes of things and from them arises another thing, viz., the soul. This is another philosophy well-known to the Jainas. The soul is a product of the elements and has no independent existence of its own. On the dissolution of the body of five elements a living being ceases to exist and nothing is left over." Everybody, fool or sage, has an individualjiva 'soul'. These souls exist as long as the body, but after death they are no more, there are no souls which are born again. There is neither virtue nor vice, there is no world beyond, and on the dissolution of the body the individual ceases to be.72
The Parable of the Lotus-pool explains the theory thus.73 Upwards from the soles of the fact, downwards from the tips of the hair on the head, within the skin's surface is what is called jiva or what is the same, atman. The whole soul lives; when the body is dead it does not live. It lasts as long as the body lasts, it does not outlast the destruction of the body. With the body ends life. Other men carry the corpse away to burn it. When it has been consumed by fire only dove coloured bones remain and the four bearers return to the village with the hearse. Therefore there is and exists no soul different from the
71. Sut.S.I.i.1.8 Jacobi has linked this verse with the following one. This is not justified, for the latter refers to Vedanta. 72. Sal.S.I.i.11.13.
73. Sut.S. II.i.15-17,19
| SR No. | 011088 |
| Book Title | Prolegomena to Prakritica et Jainica |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Satyaranjan Banerjee |
| Publisher | Asiatic Society |
| Publication Year | |
| Total Pages | 248 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 17 MB |