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Paryāya in Jain Philosophy
- Ācārya Mahāprajña
The definition of sat(reality) given by Umāsvāti is based on the trinity of utpad (creation), vyaya (cessation) and dhrauvya (persitnce. The sat is neither absolutely permanent or kutastha nitya (absolutely eternal)nor absolutely transitory or absolutely utpād-vyayātmaka.
In the Bhagavati Sūtra’, we get the explanation of satthrough two terms viz., sthira and asthira. According to this, that part which is asthira (transitory) undergoes change, or is amenable to change, that part which is sthira (permanent) does not undergo change, or is not amenable to change; that is it remains unchanged.
This concept of satgives rise to the doctrine of eternal-cumnon-eternal sat, which propounds that the substance is neither absolutely permanent, nor absolutely impermanent, but it is permanent-cum-impermanent.
Paryāya(mode) is not entirely different from the substance (drvya); at the same time it is not entirely identical with it. Hence, the sat is defined by a couple of terms - dravya and paryāya.
There are two types of change that take place in the dravyainnate (svābhāvika) and Vaibhāvika (extraneous). The svābhāvika change are subtle; they are compared with the waves in ocean -
anādinidhane dravye, saparyāyā pratiksaņam/ utpadyante vipadyante, jalkallolavat jale//
Mathematically, such change is explained through 12 expressions
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Totit 4511 312 125-126
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