Quotations From Scriptures (continued from October 2004 issue):

Introduction

Acharya Umaswati's TATTVAARTH SUTRA presents a systematic and comprehensive account of the principles of Jainism. The first chapter of TATTVAARTH SUTRA, presented in previous issues, describes rational perception and rational knowledge, and aspects of reality.

The second chapter of TATTVAARTH SUTRA deals with soul, the first and basic aspect of reality. In the past issues, the characteristic states of soul, the defining characteristic of soul and classification of souls were presented. In this segment, the discussion of classification of souls is continued along with transmigration and rebirth of souls.

It should be emphasized that some of these metaphysical concepts can be reconciled with the premises of modern science, while others are at variance with modern science. Nevertheless, it is evident that the logical structure and the level of sophistication of Jain metaphysics is exceptional. The eminent acharyas have demonstrated a penetrating insight in systematizing these concepts of reality.

Chapter 2 (continued)

Living beings having one sense organ:

VANASPATYANTAANAAMEKAM |2-22|

The living beings up to plant-bodied ones possess one sense organ.

The worldly beings are classified into two categories, immobile (STHAAVAR) and mobile (TRAS), as stated earlier. Immobile living beings are earth-bodied, water-bodied, fire-bodied, air-bodied and plant-bodied. The living beings up to plant-bodied have only one sense organ - the sense of touch. Each sense has two components, physical sense organ (DRAVYENDRIYA) of the body of a living being, and abstract sense (BHAAVENDRIYA), which consists of the modes or mental states of the being. The enumeration of sense organs mainly refers to abstract senses, which result due to fruition of the species (JAATI) subclass of the physique-determining karma. The physical sense organs are formed according to the abstract senses of the species.

The earth-bodied, water-bodied, fire-bodied, air-bodied and plant-bodied living beings have the sense of touch, and thus they have feelings of heat, cold, pain and pleasure.

Living beings having two to five sense organs:

KRIMIPIPEELIKAABHRAMARAMANUSHYAADEENAAMEKAIKAVRIDDHAANI |2-23|

Living beings like worms, living beings like ants, living beings like bees and living beings like humans each possess an additional sense organ, progressively.

Worms belong to the class of two-sensed living beings, having the senses of touch and taste; ants belong to the class of three-sensed living beings, having the senses of touch, taste and smell; bees belong to the class of four-sensed living beings, having the senses of touch, taste, smell and sight; and the rest of the living beings, like the humans, have all five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing.

Circumspection and mind:

SAMJNINAH SAMANASKAAH |2-24|

Living beings possessing the faculty of thinking (MANAH, mind) are circumspect (SAMJNI).

The faculty of thinking is a pseudo-sensory organ (ANINDRIYA). It is like a sixth sense. Most five-sensed living beings possess the faculty of thinking and hence they are circumspect - they can discriminate between good and bad - desirable and undesirable thoughts, speech and actions. They can make proper choices and can control what happens to them. However, at times, because of honest mistakes in judgment or on account of circumstances beyond one's control, undesirable things happen in life. Of course, present or past karmas also may play some role in the course of one's life.

It should be pointed out that the Sanskrit word 'SAMJNI' has multiple connotations. In the present context, it implies circumspect. Another meaning of SAMJNI is one who has the four instincts: procuring nourishment (AAHAAR SAMJNA), avoiding danger (BHAYA SAMJNA), seeking sensual pleasure (MAITHUN SAMJNA) and accretion of material (PARIGRAH SAMJNA). All living beings, including the one-sensed ones, have these natural instincts to a lesser or greater degree.(2)

Manner of transmigration:

VIGRAHAGATAU KARMAYOGAH |2-25|

Transmigration (rebirth) of worldly souls is guided by the collection of karmas associated with the soul.

The journey of a soul from the place of death to the place of rebirth (VIGRAHAGATI) is steered by the activity of its karmic body. A worldly being is a conglomeration of soul and material particles. Every living being sheds some material particles and acquires some fresh particles of matter every moment. This process and all other activities are steered by the activities (YOGA) of mind, speech or body. When a living being dies, the soul leaves the physical body, but the karmic body remains associated with the soul. In the absence of the activities of the (YOGA) of physical body, the karmic body is responsible for the vibrations of the iotas (PRADESH) of soul (KARMAYOGA) necessary for the journey to the place of rebirth.

Migration pathway:

ANUSHRENI GATIH |2-26|

Transmigration follows a path consisting of straight lines along the iotas of space.

When a soul goes from the place of death to its place of rebirth, it follows a path consisting of straight lines along the iotas (PRADESH) of space.

Pathway for liberated soul:

AVIGRAHA JEEVASYA |2-27|

The pathway for the journey of a pure soul consists of a single straight segment - without any turns.

When a soul sheds all karmic bondage, it becomes a pure soul. Such a liberated soul travels to the edge of the physical universe (SIDDHALOKA). This journey consists of a single straight segment.

Types of pathways:

VIGRAHAVATI CHA SAMSAARINAH PRAAK CHATURBHYAH |2-28|

The pathway for transmigration of a worldly soul consists of a single straight segment, or with one, two, or three turns (that is, up to four straight segments).

Depending upon the relative positions of the place of death and the place of rebirth, a worldly soul's journey consists of one, two, three or four straight segments along the iotas of space. Evidently, the pathway of a single segment involves no turns, the pathway of two segments contains one turn, the pathway of three segments has two turns, and there are three turns in the pathway consisting of four straight segments.

Simple pathway:

EKASAMAYAAVIGRAHA |2-29|

Transmigration consisting of a single segment takes only one instant (SAMAYA, smallest unit of time).

In Jain metaphysics, SAMAYA is the smallest unit of time. The journey for transmigration consisting of a single straight segment takes only one instant (SAMAYA).

Absence of nourishment during migration:

EKAM DWAU TREENVAANAAHAARAKAH |2-30|

A worldly soul undergoing transmigration consisting of more than one segment remains without nourishment (ANAAHAARAK) for one, two or three instants (SAMAYA).

A worldly being continually acquires fresh material particles such as food, water, air and karmic matter. However, during transmigration, a worldly soul does not acquire any material particles. The duration of remaining without nourishment is one, two or three instants.(3)

Kinds of birth:

SAMMOOARCHCHHANAGARBHOPAPAADA JANMA |2-31|

The three kinds of birth are birth through agglutination (SAMMOORCHCHHAN), birth through conception (GARBHA) and birth through precipitous manifestation (UPAPAAD).

Some worldly beings are born through agglutination, others through conception and the rest through precipitous manifestation.

Birth through the process of agglutination involves coming together of material particles present at the seat of birth. In this process, which is asexual, the formation of the new body is assisted by the karmic matter associated with the soul.(4) Examples of this kind of birth are growth of bacteria and germination of a seed into a sprout. All one-sensed, two-sensed, three-sensed and four-sensed living being are born through agglutination. Some five-sensed animals, including certain humans, are also born through agglutination. Another kind of agglutination involves reproduction in which the sperm and ovum meet outside the parent bodies. Such reproduction does not occur in a womb. Five-sensed beings without a backbone (invertebrates), those having both male and female sexual organs (hermaphrodites) and those without mind are born through this kind of agglutination.

In birth through conception, sperm and ovum meet in the womb and lead to the development of fetus or egg.

In birth through precipitous manifestation, a fully developed body emerges out of protean material present in the surroundings. Heavenly beings (DEVs) and infernal beings (NAARAKIs) are born in this manner.

Types of seats of birth:

SACHITTASHEETASAMVRITAAH SETARA MISHRAASHCHAIKASHASTADYONAYAH |2-32|

The kinds of seats of birth (YONIs) are animated (SACHITTA or occupied by living beings), cold (SHEET), concealed (SAMVRIT), opposite (SETARA) of these three, and intermixed (MISHRA).

There are nine kinds of seats of birth: animated (occupied by living beings), inanimate (occupied by inanimate things only), animated as well as inanimate (occupied by living and non-living things), cold, hot, partly cold and partly hot, concealed, revealed, and partly concealed and partly revealed.

Birth through conception:

JARAAYUJAANDAJAPOTAANAAM GARBHAH |2-33|

Viviparous (JARAAYUJ, wrapped in placenta), oviparous (ANDAJ, enveloped in an egg) and vertebrates without placenta (POTAJ, denuded) are born through conception - in a womb.

Some living beings, such as humans, buffalos and cows, are wrapped in a placenta through which the fetus receives nourishment in the womb. Certain living beings, such as birds, lizards and snakes, are enclosed in shells called eggs in the womb. Others, such as a mongoose, rabbits and rats, are not wrapped in placenta or enclosed in an egg. They are seen to run and jump as soon as they are born. All these are born through conception.

Birth through precipitous manifestation:

DEVANAARAKAANAAMUPAPAADAH |2-34|

Heavenly and infernal beings are born through precipitous manifestation.

Heavenly beings are born in special cradles, while the infernal beings are born in holes in hard rocky walls. These birth seats, called UPAPAADs, furnish the material particles needed for the formation of the respective bodies.

Birth through agglutination:

SHESHAANAAM SAMMOORCHCHHANAM |2-35|

Rest of the living beings are born through agglutination.

Living beings other than those born in a womb, and heavenly and infernal beings are born through agglutination. These include one-sensed, two-sensed, three-sensed and four-sensed beings, and five-sensed animals not born in a womb.

(To be continued)

Footnotes:

1. Based on the following commentaries on TATTVAARTH SUTRA:

TATTVAARTH SUTRA by Acharya Umaswati, commentary by Pandit Sukh Lal Sanghvi, English translation by K. K. Dixit, published by L. D. Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad, 1974.

TATTVAARTH SUTRA by Acharya Umaswati, commentary by Pandit Phool Chandra Siddhantacharya, published by Varni Granthmala, Varanasi, 1949.

TATTVAARTH SUTRA by Acharya Umaswati, commentary by Pandit Mohan Lal Shastri, published by Saral Jain Granth Bhandar, Jabalpur, 1983.

Reality, English translation of Acharya Pujya Pad's SARVAARTHASIDDHI by S. A. Jain, published by Vir Sasana Sangha, Calcutta, 1960.

'That Which Is', a commentary on TATTVAARTH SUTRA by Dr Nath Mal Tatia, published by Harper Collins, 1994. Back up

2. TATTVAARTH SUTRA by Acharya Umaswati, commentary by Pandit Phool Chandra Siddhantacharya, published by Varni Granthmala, Varanasi, 1949, page 105. Back up

3. According to Shwetambar tradition, a worldly soul gets nourishment during the first and last segments of the journey for transmigration. Thus it remains without nourishment for one or two instants only. Back up

4. In fact, all souls are assisted by the karmic matter in their possession during rebirth. Back up

5. TATTVAARTH SUTRA by Acharya Umaswati, commentary by Pandit Sukh Lal Sanghvi, English translation by K. K. Dixit, published by L. D. Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad, 1974, pages 108-109. Back up

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