"Souls are not only the property of animal and plant life, but also of

“Souls are not only the property of animal and plant life, but also of rocks, running water and many other natural objects not looked on as living by other religious sects.”
The above statement reflects one of the core beliefs of which one of the following religious sects of ancient India?

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Buddhism

Jainism

Shaivism

Vaishnavism

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This question was previously asked in

UPSC IAS – 2023

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The statement describes a belief system where souls or life principles (Jiva) are not confined to just complex organisms like animals and plants but are also present in seemingly inanimate natural objects like rocks, water, fire, and air. This is a fundamental tenet of Jain philosophy. Jainism postulates that Jiva is present in all forms of existence, from complex mobile beings (trasa) to elemental bodies (sthavara), which include earth bodies (prithvi-kaya), water bodies (ap-kaya), fire bodies (tejo-kaya), air bodies (vayu-kaya), and plant bodies (vanaspati-kaya). This comprehensive view of life distinguishes Jainism from other religious sects listed.

Jainism’s concept of Jiva (soul) extends to all aspects of the universe, including what is commonly perceived as non-living matter. This belief forms the basis of the principle of Ahimsa (non-violence) in Jainism, which is practiced with extreme care to avoid harming even the smallest forms of life, including elemental bodies.

Buddhism also emphasizes non-violence but does not extend the concept of soul/sentience to inanimate objects in the same way Jainism does. Shaivism and Vaishnavism, denominations of Hinduism, have diverse philosophical schools, but the concept described is uniquely central to Jain cosmology and ethics.

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