37th All Orissa Philosophy Association Essay Competition

The Jaina Concept of Self: A Critical Approach

Mamata Sahoo
The objective of Indian philosophy is to study the world, the self, the life, and man’s place in
it. The branch of study that deals with the study of reality is called metaphysics; the branch of
study that deals with the theory of knowledge is called epistemology; the theory that deals with
values is called axiology and the theory that deals with the truth is logic. The concept of self is
a metaphysical concept distinguished from the empirical concepts. Empirically we have a body,
mind, senses, intellect, and ego. But the self is neither the aggregate of all these products of
prakriti nor identical with any one of them. The self is spiritual and is the foundation of all our
human knowledge (adhisthana). It is the ground of all our affirmations. and negation. It is one,
eternal, and infinite principle. The principle that resides within me is called atman and that
transcends all the limits is called Brahman. Upanisads declare that “atman is Brahman”; “the
knower is Brahman”; and “I am that”.
In the Indian context, the self is eternal. It survives after the death of the physical body.
In the Bhagavad Gita, the self is compared with a being that is neither destructible nor deniable.
Neither the air can lift it, water can drown it nor fire can burn it. The impressions of karma
force the soul to take birth in a body appropriate to the results of the action. The self is the
essence of the consciousness. In our conscious state, we observe things but in the unconscious
state, we can't observe. Some call it the mind. The mind thinks it is the self, some call it matter
like the body like the self.
Jainism holds that soul (jiva) is not one but many. Consciousness is its essence. Each
jiva is endowed with four infinite qualities (Ananta chatustaya). These are, infinite knowledge,
infinite faith, infinite perception, and infinite bliss. Due to the karmic impressions, these
qualities are dormant in each soul. When these karma matters are removed gradually these four
qualities are revealed. Therefore, qualitatively all jivas are alike and quantitatively different.
There is only degrees of differences. The development of life depends upon the degrees of
removal of dross and dust of karma matter. Jivas, therefore, are different different because of
the proportion of karmic matter deposited in the jivas. Jainism conceives of mukta jivas and
badha jivas. Badha jivas again are subdivided into jivas living in the elements of earth having
one sense, jivas living in the elements of water having two senses, fire having four senses, and
a human being having five senses. The soul is the spirit that exists in itself and it varies in
degrees which means an ant's soul is like the ant's small and the lion’s soul is like the lion
means, so like the body like the soul, it varies from being to being. The soul is the living being
whose consciousness exists directly by all living beings, it is the essence of the consciousness
and each consciousness pervades all living beings even we can say that we can't see the self
and its existence but in some cases, we can see it. The soul is proved directly by the un-
contradicted premises like 'l feel pleasure' when we can see the quality of the substance then
we also see the substance like when we know the quality of the soul then we also know it.
The soul is the enjoyer of this external world, it is suffering and a knower of this empirical
world, and all the impressions like smiles, and sad feelings are the product of the soul.
Inferentially we can get that our body moved like a car because someone controls it and our
senses are just the instruments and there is something who uses them as his need, like a
substance like a subject, has an employee who made it same as our body is the substrate and
the soul is an employee who builds it, fit it, and control it so the self can be inferred but not
perceived. Jainism defines that the soul which is present in our body comes from many bodies
and returns to many, and it is the essence of the consciousness and not identical with the body
but different from it.
Jainism uses the term jiva that jiva is the enjoyer and ajiva is enjoyed, that which has
consciousness is jiva, what knows and perceives the various objects, desires pleasure and
dreads pain, acts beneficially or harmfully, and experiences the fruit thereof, that is jiva. In the
Jaina writings, the word jiva is variously used and denotes life, vitality, soul, and
consciousness. Jiva is a living experience, which is so utterly unlike the physical things of the
outer world. The jivas are infinite in number and are of different kinds. (1) Nityasiddha or the
ever perfect;(2) Mukta or the liberated; and (3) the Baddha or the bound. Jivas are divided
according to the number of sense organs they possess. The highest are those that have five
senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. The lowest have one sense, touch. The higher
animals, men, and gods, possess a sixth internal organ; Manas, and are said to be rational. The
senses and bodies do not constitute the essence of the soul, which lies in the consciousness
underlying them all. Self and its knowledge are inseparable, everything from the solar system
to the dewdrop has a soul, and not merely men and animals. The Jaina doctrine is that there are
souls even in inorganic objects, like metals and stones. The condition of a soul depends on the
condition of its body, in an inorganic body the soul's consciousness is dormant, while it just
stairs in the organic body. Consciousness is active in human beings compared to the saying:
'All flesh is not the same flesh' but there is one kind of flesh in men. The jiva is characterized
by knowledge, and though it has no form, is yet an agent enjoying the fruits of karma and
possessing the same extent as the body. It undergoes real changes otherwise it cannot be a
causal agent, the Potter has the idea, and the pot exists in his consciousness, and there arises
the actual pot with the material clay. Yet throughout its infinite forms, the soul maintains its
nature or identity. Birth and death are only parlays or modifications of the soul. It can maintain
its existence independent of the body, consciousness is a reality independent of matter and in
no sense its product. It is eternal with neither beginning nor end.
Every jiva is a composite of body and soul, of which the soul is the active partner, while
the body is the inactive passive one. Jiva, too in the same way through its own impure states of
thought that are conditioned by karma, brings about its own thought changes. To the question,
as to why the jiva should suffer the fruits of karma, if the two are independent a sort of pre-
established harmony is suggested. In the world, we have material bodies large and small of
which some are karmic matter, with a tendency to be attracted by the jivas. By their
coexistence, jiva and karmic material molecules are brought together. The soul is said to have
dimensions, and be capable of expansion and contraction, the soul cannot be smaller than the
physical body, for then it will not be able to feel the bodily affections as its own. The diffusion
of the soul in the body is not like any other diffusion in nature, since the soul is simple and
devoid of parts. Just as the lotus-hued ruby, when placed in a cup of milk imparts its luster to
the milk, so the jiva residing in its own body imparts its luster or intelligence to the whole body.
The souls which are infinite in number and of medium size occupy innumerable points of space
in lokakasa or the mundane world. Jaina says that a lamp whether placed in a small pot or a
large room illumines the whole space, even so does the jiva contract and expand according to
the dimensions of the different bodies.
 The second class of jivas will not become embodied, they have achieved their purity
and dwell in a state of supra-mundane perfection unconcerned with worldly affairs. The freed
souls are absolutely pure and free from any taint of matter, in them, the partnership between
soul and matter is dissolved. They are the nirupadhi jivas, which lead a life of pure existence
and infinite consciousness and possess infinite knowledge, infinite perception, infinite power,
and infinite bliss. Through ignorance the jiva identifies itself with matter, jiva in the sense of
the freed indicates the pure subject, which is simple and incorruptible. Except in the final
release, the soul is always in connection with the matter, the link between the two being karma.
The soul persists throughout all changes and is not a product of the body. The Jainas admit that
there is no creation of a new substance or destruction of the old. It is only a fusion of elements
in a few forms.
The jivas are many but are alike eternal. Their characteristic essence is consciousness
or chetana, which is never destroyed, however much it is obscured by external causes, they are
regarded as possessing size which varies in different cases. They contract and expand according
to the dimensions of the body with which they are incorporated for the time being. The question
of the different kinds of jivas is important for the Jainas, in view of their insistence on ahimsa
or the inviolability of life. Jivas are decided according to the number of sense organs they
possess. The two jiva and ajiva are exhaustive categories of the universe. Of the six dravyas,
jiva and pudgala from the chief. The others are the principle of their action or the results of
their interaction, samsara is nothing but the entanglement of jiva in matter. Jiva and pudgala
are the sakriya dravyas, or efficient causes, which move from place to place. The link of union
between jiva and ajiva is karma, the production, fruition, and destruction of karma, together
with jiva and ajiva are the principles or tattvas of Jainism. The absolute liberation of jiva from
ajiva is moksha, it is the goal of all endeavours.
The cause of the soul's embodiment is the presence in it of karmic matter. It is this that
spoils the natural qualities of the soul, knowledge, and intuition. The soul is never completely
separated from matter until its final release, the defilement of the soul happens this, subtle
matter ready to be transformed into karma pours into the soul. As each particular karma is
caused by some act, good, bad, or indifferent, it in turn produces certain painful or pleasant
consequences. When a particular karma produces its effect it is purged from the soul, and if
this process of discharge should take place uninterruptedly, all taint of matter will be abolished.
But unfortunately, purging and binding go on together, and the soul continues to move in the
circle of samsāra. At the death, the soul within its karmana sarira goes in a few moments to
the place of its new birth, and there assumes a fresh body, expanding or contracting according
to the dimensions of the latter. The mundane souls are divided into four classes according to
the place of their birth: those born in hell, those in the animal world, those in human society,
and those in the divine Kingdom.

+3 2nd Year,
Department of Logic & Philosophy
U.N. (Auto.) College of Sci. & Tech.,
Adaspur, Cuttack