08-03-2022, 08:59 AM
Gatha 26
The Omniscient has declared that Lord Jina – the first of whom was Lord Rsabha, having infinite knowledge – has all-pervasive (sarvagata) existence. All objects-of-knowledge (jñeya) in the world – being knowable – reflect in his knowledge.
Explanatory Note:
The knowledge that reflects all objects of the world, with their modes of the past, the present, and the future, is all-pervasive (sarvagata); Lord Jina has infinite knowledge and, therefore, he too is all-pervasive (sarvagata). Just as the mirror reflects all substances like the pot and the cloth, the knowledge of the Omniscient Lord reflects all substances of the universe (loka) and the non-universe (aloka).
From the transcendental-point-of-view (niscayanaya) all substances remain in their own-nature (svabhāva); the soul is not transformed into other substances, other substances are not transformed into the soul. From the empirical-point-of-view (vyavahāranaya), however, the knowledge-soul encompasses other substances and other substances encompass the knowledge-soul.
Gatha-27
The Doctrine of Lord Jina proclaims that knowledge is the soul. Without the soul, there is no existence of knowledge. Therefore, knowledge is the soul, and the soul is knowledge, besides other qualities.
Explanatory Note:
There is no difference between knowledge (jñāna) and the soul (ātmā); these are the same. Knowledge cannot exist without the soul. However, the soul has host of other qualities, such as bliss and energy, besides knowledge. Moreover, there is the doctrine-of-non-absolutism (anekāntavāda), the indispensability of looking at the reality from different points of view. If knowledge is the soul absolutely, the quality of knowledge becomes the substance of soul. That in which quality exists is the substance, and if the quality becomes the substance, in the absence of quality, the substance of soul cannot exist. If the soul is knowledge absolutely, the soul will possess the quality of knowledge alone; other qualities like bliss and energy cannot exist in it. Without the quality, the substance cannot exist; without the substance of soul, knowledge too cannot exist.
Therefore, from one point of view, knowledge definitely is the soul, as knowledge does not exist anywhere else. The soul is knowledge only in respect of its quality of knowledge, it is bliss in respect of its quality of bliss, it is energy in respect of its quality of energy, and so on.
The Omniscient has declared that Lord Jina – the first of whom was Lord Rsabha, having infinite knowledge – has all-pervasive (sarvagata) existence. All objects-of-knowledge (jñeya) in the world – being knowable – reflect in his knowledge.
Explanatory Note:
The knowledge that reflects all objects of the world, with their modes of the past, the present, and the future, is all-pervasive (sarvagata); Lord Jina has infinite knowledge and, therefore, he too is all-pervasive (sarvagata). Just as the mirror reflects all substances like the pot and the cloth, the knowledge of the Omniscient Lord reflects all substances of the universe (loka) and the non-universe (aloka).
From the transcendental-point-of-view (niscayanaya) all substances remain in their own-nature (svabhāva); the soul is not transformed into other substances, other substances are not transformed into the soul. From the empirical-point-of-view (vyavahāranaya), however, the knowledge-soul encompasses other substances and other substances encompass the knowledge-soul.
Gatha-27
The Doctrine of Lord Jina proclaims that knowledge is the soul. Without the soul, there is no existence of knowledge. Therefore, knowledge is the soul, and the soul is knowledge, besides other qualities.
Explanatory Note:
There is no difference between knowledge (jñāna) and the soul (ātmā); these are the same. Knowledge cannot exist without the soul. However, the soul has host of other qualities, such as bliss and energy, besides knowledge. Moreover, there is the doctrine-of-non-absolutism (anekāntavāda), the indispensability of looking at the reality from different points of view. If knowledge is the soul absolutely, the quality of knowledge becomes the substance of soul. That in which quality exists is the substance, and if the quality becomes the substance, in the absence of quality, the substance of soul cannot exist. If the soul is knowledge absolutely, the soul will possess the quality of knowledge alone; other qualities like bliss and energy cannot exist in it. Without the quality, the substance cannot exist; without the substance of soul, knowledge too cannot exist.
Therefore, from one point of view, knowledge definitely is the soul, as knowledge does not exist anywhere else. The soul is knowledge only in respect of its quality of knowledge, it is bliss in respect of its quality of bliss, it is energy in respect of its quality of energy, and so on.