Jethalal S. Zaveri
Prof. Muni Mahendra Kumar
Pudgala - General Properties
The subjects of Non-absolutist Realism of Jains as well as that of Substance, Quality and Modes have been already dealt within the previous section. Besides, it is proposed to deal with this again in the subsequent chapter. Hence, suffice here to repeat that pudgala is a real existent as well as a substance. As a real, it is both permanent as well as changing, and the change in attributes that occurs at every moment is due both to its internal dynamic constitution as well as its interaction with other Reals. The Jains emphasize that all these modifications are events in time, but as a substance, pudgaldstikaya has timeless continuity of substancehood, which is not an event in time. Whether it is ultimate free atoms or aggregates, the continuity of the substancehood in all its modifications is a fact.
A very simple example to explain the relation between the substance and its modes is that of conversion of a golden bangle and a golden ring by a goldsmith. In both, the specific qualities of the element gold inheres uniformly but the mutability of the gold to be transformed into different shapes and sizes makes it possible to become sometime a bangle and sometime a ring. This transformation of shapes is mutability and the shape for the time being is a mode. The bangle-mode can be destroyed to create the ring-mode, but the goldhood is permanent or identical in both.
