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Letter 15
99
attribute i.e. retention or formation of shape, is also continuously going on because of its own potentiality.
That is to say that the modification of shape is continuously going on in the cycle of evolution and extinction at each samay, or in other words at each samay a new shape is taking place. This modification or shape can be similar to the earlier one or can be different.
For instance, whenever you come to stay with me (i.e. mother's place), you always comment saying - 'Oh mom ! Look at this furniture as old as ever, since so many years it is unchanged, it is getting old day by day aren't you bored of it? Why don't you tell dad and get it changed ?'
So you see changing desires at every samay lead to unhappiness. Therefore we don't require to change the furniture, on the contrary we need to change our view point or attitude. Owing to the Pradeshatva attribute the shape of the furniture is constantly changing at every samay, the modifications of the other attributes are also changing at every samay.
Truely speaking at every samay new shape is being formed automatically due to Pradeshatva attribute. But we try to bring about a change in the Paradravya i.e. other substance and its attributes according to our wishes, but the nature of substances is not so, therefore we are unhappy. Our modifications take place in our substance and our attributes only.
'To know and to believe this is all I can do. Therefore just know and believe in the nature of the substances, as they are, then the present unhappy modification of the Bliss attribute will turn into blissful modification and will be in a state of Bliss.
When we think of the shape of the six substances, the shape of the Jeev Dravya, while it is existing in this embodied form it is as large or small as the body with which it is associated. And in the Siddha state it is little smaller than the last body it was associated with. Usually when we describe the shape of the soul in relation with the body it is a relative statement about the space it is occupying. But on its own the Jeev Dravya has innumerable pradesh (BHNT ET ) as its volume.
The shape of a Pudgal Paramanu is like a rectangular cubic brick, and it is single pradeshi. The shape of Dharma and Adharma substances is like or equal to Lokakash i.e. innumerable pradeshi, Kaal Dravya is Ekpradeshi ( star wayit) and Akash Dravya is infinite pradeshi.
Out of these only Jeev Dravya has the capacity to expand and contract its shape. Shapes of the rest of substances remain the same.
By the combination of two or more Paramanu of Pudgal substance coming together a Skandha (or molecule ) is formed. Shape of the