The Attributes Of The Soul

The article critiques Mr. Rikhab Dass Jain’s response to a question about the soul’s attributes, particularly addressing the eternal bondage of the soul with matter. The author argues that Mr. Jain’s explanation of the soul-matter union as a non-entity but a combined state creates confusion. While Mr. Jain claims this state is eternal and not the soul’s true nature (Swabhava), the author questions how an eternal condition can be annulled, especially since the soul has never existed without bondage. The author highlights contradictions in Mr. Jain’s reasoning, such as referring to "matter in bondage with the soul" instead of the soul being bound to matter, which undermines the distinction between the two. The critique further asserts that if the soul and matter have always been intertwined, their pure forms could never have existed independently, making liberation (Moksha) logically impossible without annihilating their existence. The author concludes that equating the cessation of non-eternal bondage with Moksha is misleading, as the eternal bondage remains unresolved. The piece ends with skepticism about the coherence of the Jaina theory, reiterating unresolved questions about the nature of bondage and liberation.

Summary reviewed by a volunteer editor.