$JES 904 Compendium of Jainism (Jain Academic Bowl Manual 3rd Edition)

SR No.: 000021
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee
Publication Year: 2009
Total Pages: 400
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Jaina_Education, 0_Jaina_education, & JAINA Books
File Size: 314 KB

Page 47

PHILOSOPHY
B05 - Six Universal Substances II: Non-Living Substances
All visible substances are matter but certain types of matter, which are too subtle to experience through our senses, are not visible. Also, the other five non-matter substances - soul, medium of motion and rest, space, and time are not visible at all. Many types of matter exist in the universe. Everything we see, touch, and feel is also matter and hence Jainism states that sound, light, darkness, color, and smell are all various types of matter. However, the soul interacts with only eight types of such matter known as Varganä. The entire universe is filled with these eight types of Varganä along with other matter, which does not interact with soul. A soul interacts with these Varganä as follows:
Name of Vargana Function Audärika Varganä makes a physical body Vaikriya Varganä makes a special body to heavenly and infernal beings Ähäraka Varganä makes a special separate body to spiritually advanced
monks which can be sent a long distance Tejas Varganä
responsible for heat and digestion power Bhäshä Varganä
responsible for speech Mana Varganä
responsible for physical mind Shväso-chchhväs responsible for breathing Vargana Kärman Varganä makes Karmic body or Karma
Audärika and Vaikriya Varganäs can have a visible state while other Varganäs are not visible. When these Varganäs interacts with the soul, they manifest their characteristics of touch, taste, smell, sight, and color. Extremely minute particles (smallest size of all 8 Varganäs) constitute karma. These particles are not visible though they are considered a form of matter. Karma or Karmic Matter Karma (Pudgal) Karma is one of the categories of matter. It is known as Karmic matter karma (Pudgal). Karma particles are of very fine matter and are not perceptible to the senses. The entire universe is filled with such karmic matter. From eternity, Karmic matter covers the soul of every living being. It is the karmic matter that keeps the soul from realization of its true nature. It is due to karma that one feels pleasure and pain, reincarnates into different forms of life, acquires a certain type of
physical body, and the duration of life. 5. Käl (Time)
Käl means time, which measures changes in living beings and non-living substances. It is not the cause of such changes. A child becomes a young person, a young person becomes an old person, and the old person dies. In other words, something, which is new, becomes old, worn, and torn over a period of time. So, the soul and matter continuously change their form of existence which is known as Paryaya. These changes in the soul and matter are measured as time. All of these changes do not occur because of time. Käl is merely the measure of time, over, which those changes occur. The past, present, and future are different modes of time and are measured in terms of years, months, days, hours, minutes or seconds. Commonly, for practical purposes, a second is the smallest measurement of time. Jainism however, recognizes a very tiny measurement of time known as Samay, the smallest indivisible portion of time. Infinite numbers of Samaya make one second.
Compendium of Jainism - 2015
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