Jain Tattvagyanam

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Jain Tattvagyanam" by Vijaydharmsuri, based on the provided pages:

Book Title: Jain Tattvagyanam Author: Vijaydharmsuri Publisher: Premchand Ratnaji Catalog Link: https://jainqq.org/explore/022453/1

Overall Purpose and Scope: The book is an exposition of Jain philosophy and its core principles, intended to provide a concise overview of Jain Tattvajnana (Jain knowledge of principles). It acknowledges the existence of six prominent philosophical systems and positions Jainism as one of them, highlighting its unique perspective. The text is written in Sanskrit and was prepared in 1917 at the request of the Bhandarkar Research Institute.

Key Concepts and Structure:

The text systematically introduces and explains fundamental Jain principles, primarily focusing on:

1. The Nature of the Divine and the Universe:

   • The opening verses (Page 3) offer salutations to the supreme being, describing it as the source of all existence and consciousness, beyond human comprehension.
   • The universe is presented as wonderfully diverse and governed by this supreme principle.

2. The Nine Tattvas (Principles):

   • The core of Jain philosophy, as presented, revolves around nine essential principles, derived from the Agamas (Jain scriptures). These are:
     • Jiva (Soul): The principle of consciousness. The text defines Jiva by its characteristic of consciousness (chetana, jnana, upayoga). It explains that the soul's ability to know all things is obscured by the accumulation of karma from time immemorial.
       • Types of Jivas: Souls are divided into two main categories:
         • Mukta (Liberated Souls): Those who have achieved liberation by destroying all karma.
         • Samsari (Worldly Souls): Those bound by karma.
       • Samsari Jivas are further classified:
         • Sthavara (Immobile): Those with one sense organ, divided into five types: earth-bodied (prithvi), water-bodied (jala), fire-bodied (tejas), air-bodied (vayu), and vegetation-bodied (vanaspati).
         • Trasa (Mobile): Those with two or more sense organs, further divided into:
           • Dvindriya (Two-sensed): E.g., worms, snails.
           • Trindriya (Three-sensed): E.g., ants, lice.
           • Chaturindriya (Four-sensed): E.g., bees, flies.
           • Pancendriya (Five-sensed): Divided into Tiryancha (animals/beasts), Manushya (humans), Naraka (hell beings), and Deva (heavenly beings).
       • Sensory Organs: The text explains the classification based on the number of sense organs, from one-sensed (ekendriya) to five-sensed (pancendriya). It notes that one-sensed beings and mobile beings with fewer than five senses are called "Asanjni" (without developed mind).
       • Birth Types: Beings are born in different ways: Samurchchima (spontaneously generated), Garbhaja (born from a womb), and Upapataja (born by falling from one existence into another, like gods and hell beings).
       • Jiva's Body: Souls have five types of bodies: Audarika (gross body), Vaikriya (transformable body), Aharaka (embodying knowledge), Taijasa (fiery body), and Karmana (karmic body). The Taijasa and Karmana bodies are present in all worldly souls.
     • Ajiva (Non-soul): Everything that is not a soul; it is non-conscious and inert. Ajiva is further explained through the five Astikayas (categories of substances that have extension in space):
       • Dharma (Principle of Motion): Described as enabling movement.
       • Adharma (Principle of Rest): Described as enabling rest.
       • Akasha (Space): The medium that accommodates all substances.
       • Pudgala (Matter): The substance that has form, touch, taste, and smell. It is divided into atoms (anava) and aggregates (skandha).
       • Kala (Time): The principle of change and duration.
     • Punhya (Merit): Actions and karmas that lead to happiness and favorable outcomes.
     • Papa (Demerit): Actions and karmas that lead to suffering and unfavorable outcomes.
     • Asrava (Influx of Karma): The process by which karmic matter enters the soul. This is caused by passions (kashayas), ignorance (mithyatva), vows (virati), and activities of mind, speech, and body (yoga).
     • Samvara (Stoppage of Karma): The process of preventing new karmic matter from entering the soul, achieved through vows, self-control, and suppression of passions.
     • Nirjara (Shedding of Karma): The process of exhausting existing karmic matter through austerities (tapas).
     • Bandha (Bondage of Karma): The actual binding of karmic matter to the soul. This is described with four aspects:
       • Prakriti (Nature of Karma): The eight types of karmas: Jnanavarana (knowledge-obscuring), Darshanavarana (perception-obscuring), Vedaniya (feeling-producing), Mohaniya (delusion-producing), Ayushya (lifespan), Nama (body-making), Gotra (status-determining), and Antaraya (obstruction).
       • Sthiti (Duration of Karma): The period for which a particular karma remains attached to the soul.
       • Anubhaga (Intensity of Karma): The potency or intensity of the karmic effect.
       • Pradesha (Quantity of Karma): The number of karmic particles bound to the soul.
     • Moksha (Liberation): The ultimate goal, achieved by the complete annihilation of all karmas, leading to the soul's pure, omniscient, and blissful state.

3. The Nature of Jivas and Ajivas:

   • The text elaborates on the consciousness of even seemingly inanimate objects like earth, water, fire, air, and vegetation, arguing for their sentience based on scriptural evidence and logical reasoning (e.g., absorption of nourishment, reaction to stimuli). This is presented as a unique aspect of Jain philosophy.
   • It refutes materialistic views that consciousness arises from material elements or that the senses themselves are the soul.

4. The Universe (Loka) and the Realm Beyond (Aloka):

   • The universe is described as a fourteen-rajju (a unit of measurement) structure containing souls and non-souls. It's divided into three realms: Urdhva Loka (upper world), Adho Loka (lower world), and Tiryak Loka (middle world).
   • The Aloka (non-universe) is pure space, infinite and devoid of all substances, including Dharma and Adharma. The presence of Dharma and Adharma is crucial for understanding the structure and limitations of the Loka.

5. Syadvada (The Doctrine of Conditional Predication):

   • The text emphasizes Syadvada as the fundamental principle of Jainism, stating that all phenomena are characterized by multiple, often seemingly contradictory, aspects. Syadvada allows for the understanding of an object's nature through relative assertion ("Syat" - perhaps, in a certain context). It highlights that everything is real in its own nature but unreal in another's.

6. The Concept of Ishvara (God):

   • Jainism does not posit a creator God. Instead, it emphasizes the potential of every soul to achieve omniscience and liberation (the state of the Siddhas, or perfected beings). The liberated souls are considered divine, but they do not intervene in the universe. The concept of God in Jainism is related to the highest attainment of the soul, not a creator deity.

7. Jain Scriptures and Scholars:

   • The text mentions prominent Jain scholars like Haribhadrasuri and Umāsvāti, and scriptures like the Agamas (specifically the Sutrakritanga), Pancham Karma Granth, Tattvartha Sutra, and Lokaprakasha.

Key Arguments and Supporting Points:

• The existence of the soul is argued for based on the diversity of worldly experiences (wealth, poverty, health, illness) which cannot be explained without a distinct soul bound by karma.
• The concept of karma is central to explaining individual differences and the cycle of birth and death.
• The text provides logical arguments for the sentience of all living beings, including plants and elements, based on their subtle reactions and absorption of nourishment.
• Syadvada is presented as the only rational way to understand the multifaceted nature of reality.

Conclusion: The book concludes by stating that this summary is intended to provide an essential understanding of Jain Tattvajnana. It encourages further study of more detailed Jain texts for a deeper exploration of the subject matter. The author, Vijaydharmsuri, aims to offer a clear and logical presentation of Jain doctrines, emphasizing the interconnectedness of principles and the ultimate goal of liberation.