Development of the Jaina Concept of Soul
By Mohanlal Mehta
Summary
Mohanlal Mehta surveys early Jain canonical texts to trace how they define soul (jiva). The Acârânga describes soul as the knower and divides souls into liberated and worldly, further classifying worldly souls into mobile and immobile beings with one to five senses. The Bhagavati emphasises cognition (upayoga) as the soul’s essence and classifies beings by senses. Prajñapana provides an elaborate classification of living beings, their habitats, numerical strength and life‑duration, and devotes chapters to body, cognition and karma. Jivajivabhigama and Jivajivavibhakti continue this systematic classification, while Rajaprasniya argues that soul is a real entity distinct from body and capable of contraction and expansion. The Tattvarthasutra consolidates earlier doctrines and examines the soul’s various states, bondage and liberation, and factors such as sense organs, transmigration, birth and death. Later philosophers portray the worldly soul as conscious, changing, doer and enjoyer, equal to the body it inhabits and bound by karmas, yet emancipated through right knowledge and conduct.
Conclusion
The essay compiles doctrinal strands from Jain scriptures to present a coherent view of jiva as a conscious entity distinct from matter. Through detailed classification of living beings and analysis of texts like Prajñapana and Tattvarthasutra, it shows that the soul is self‑luminous, capable of contraction and expansion, and attains liberation only by annihilating karmas through right knowledge and conduct.