^gO OBSERVATIONS ON" 



gical and metaphysical ideas found among other sects, 

 joined to many visionary and fantastic notions of 

 their own. 



Their belief in the eternity of matter, and perpetu- 

 ity of the world, is common to the aS^wc'^j/^ philosophy, 

 from which it was perhaps immediately taken. Their 

 description of the world has much analogy to that 

 which is given in the Piiranas, or Indian theogonies: 

 but the scheme has been rendered still more extrava- 

 gant. Their precaution to avoid injuring any being 

 is a practice inculcated in the orthodox religion, but 

 which has been carried by them to a ludicrous ex- 

 treme *. 



In their notions of the soul, and of its union with 

 body, and of retribution for good and evil, some ana- 

 logy is likewise observable. The Jainas conceive the 

 soul (J'lxia) to have been eternally united to a very 

 subtil material body, or rather to two such bodies, 

 one of which is invariable, and consists (if I rightly 

 apprehend their metaphysical notions), of the powers 

 of the mind ; the other is variable, and is composed 

 of its passions and affections : (this, at least, is what 

 I understand them to mean by the Taijasa and CaV' 

 mana Sariras). The soul, so embodied, becomes, in 

 its successive transmigrations, united with a grosser 

 body denominated Aiidarica, which retains a definite 

 form, as man and other mundane beings ; or it is 

 joined with a purer essence varying in its appearance 

 at pleasure, as the gods and genii. This last is termed 

 Vaicdrica. They distinguish a fifth sort of body, un- 

 der the name of 'Ahdrica, which they explain as a 

 minute form, issuing from the head of a meditative 

 sage, to consult an omniscient saint; and returning 

 with the desired information to the person whence 



* Jaina Priests usually bear a broom adapted to sweep insects out 

 of tbeir way ; lest they should tread on the iiiiutiteit bciii;;. 



