Tattvartha Sutra (with commentary)

by Vijay K. Jain | 2018 | 130,587 words | ISBN-10: 8193272625 | ISBN-13: 9788193272626

This page describes the possessor of the sense of touch (sparsha) which is verse 2.22 of the English translation of the Tattvartha Sutra which represents the essentials of Jainism and Jain dharma and deals with the basics on Karma, Cosmology, Ethics, Celestial beings and Liberation. The Tattvarthasutra is authorative among both Digambara and Shvetambara. This is verse 22 of the chapter Category of the Living and includes an extensive commentary.

Verse 2.22 - The possessor of the sense of touch (sparśa)

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Tattvartha sūtra 2.22:

वनस्पत्यन्तानामेकम् ॥ २.२२ ॥

vanaspatyantānāmekam || 2.22 ||

The souls (jīva) up to the plant-bodied (vanaspatikāyika) possess only the first sense. (22)

Hindi Anvayarth:

अन्वयार्थ: [वनस्पति अन्तानाम्] वनस्पतिकाय जिसके अन्त में है ऐसे जीवों के अर्थात् पृथ्वीकायिक, जलकायिक, अग्निकायिक, वायुकायिक और वनस्पतिकायिक जीवों के [एकम्] एक स्पर्शन इन्द्रिय ही होती है।

Anvayartha: [vanaspati antanam] vanaspatikaya jisake anta mem hai aise jivom ke arthat prithvikayika, jalakayika, agnikayika, vayukayika aura vanaspatikayika jivom ke [ekam] eka sparshana indriya hi hoti hai |

Explanation in English from Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Sarvārthasiddhi:

The objects of the senses have been explained. Who possess these senses? The possessor of the sense of touch is ascertained first.

The word ‘eka’ in the sūtra means the first. What is it? It is the sense of touch (sparśana). By whom is it possessed? It is possessed by souls from the earth-bodied (pṛthivīkāyika) to the plant-bodied (vanaspati-kāyika). The cause of its origin is now mentioned. The one sense of touch arises on the destruction-cum-subsidence (kṣayopaśama) of energy-obstructive (viryāntarāya) and sense-of-touch-obscuring (sparśana-indriyāvaraṇīya) karmas, on the rise of karmas which totally obscure the other senses, on the attainment of physique-making (śarira) name-karma, and on the rise of name-karma of the class of one-sensed (sthāvara) beings.

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