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by Jayaram V
According to Jainism the souls exist everywhere, not only
in living beings, but in
inanimate objects as well. They are every where, in
every rock, in every drop of rain, in every particle of water, in every
breeze of the wind, in every tongue of the flame, and in every ray of light.
Thus when a man is drinking water, eating some food or lighting a stove to
cook his food, he is committing a great sin, because unwittingly he is
causing a lot pain and disturbance to the souls hidden in them and forcing
them to find new bodies.
A follower of Jainism therefore shows extreme caution in
his day to day living as he deals with the various objects of the world.
Since he does not want to attract bad karma by disturbing the jivas and
forcing them to find new bodies elsewhere, he tries to avoid injury to
others to the extent he can sincerely manage.
He shows extreme care in the selection of his food and in
the manner of eating it, eating such plant roots and tubers like the
potatoes, which he believes contain not one soul but a cluster of souls. He
even minimizes the intake of food and water, or the lighting of lamps etc,
so that he can save himself from the trouble of destroying unnecessarily
living forms in these things. He covers his mouth with white cloth, so that
while breathing he is not inhaling the jivas hidden in the insects and
invisible creatures and causing them harm. He even moves cautiously so that
the jivas hidden in the wind and the air and in the earth or the dust
are not disturbed.
Jainism recognizes five types of souls depending upon the
number of the senses they possess.
1. Those with five senses: Gods, men, beings in
the hell and higher animals such as monkeys, elephants, snakes,
horses, etc., come under this category. These beings possess manas which
gives them varying degrees of intelligence and rationality.
2. Those with four senses: In this category
the beings do not possess the sense of hearing. Many insects fall into this
category.
3. Those with three senses: In this category, the
beings do not possess the sense of hearing and the sense of sight. Many
insects are placed under this category including the moths, because of their
tendency to move towards light and fire and destroying themselves.
4. Those with two senses. In this category the
beings possess only the sense of taste and the sense of touch. Many worms,
leeches, shell fish fall into this category.
5. Those with only one sense: In this category the
beings possess only the sense of touch. These are again divided into five
sub categories: i) the plant bodies containing only one soul or a cluster of
souls such as the tubers and roots, ii) earth bodies made of earth
material such as coals, minerals, stones and so on, iii) water bodies made
up of water such rivers, lakes, water falls, lakes, ponds and even a drop of
water, iv) fire bodies made up of fire such lightning, a lamp or candle
light, or the fire in the kitchen stove, and finally v) the air bodies made
of wind and gases such as a breeze or a storm wind.
According to Jainism the whole world is an aggregate of
living souls hidden in every form and every object. The number of souls
never change, because the souls are eternal and indestructible. When a soul
becomes liberated, its place is automatically filled with another soul from
another body.
The souls undergo continuous change because of the
operation of the law of karma, which binds the soul to the matter and keeps
it chained to the cycle of births and deaths. True liberation is when the
jiva is freed from all types of association with matter. It happens only
when the jiva tries to reduce the inflow of karma and purifies its body
through good conduct and non injury to others. The concept of non violence
is therefore not just a matter of ethical value in Jainism, but a real
necessity for the jivas to become free. Non violence is a way of life in
Jainism, because injury to other jivas especially those jivas with higher
number of senses attracts the worst form of karma into ones own body and
makes liberation extremely difficult.
Suggested Further Reading
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