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NandiSootra
[120] MEANING -1 will establish the said twenty eight divisions of abhinibodhik mati-jnana (four vyanjanavagrah, six arthavagrah, six iha, six avaya and six dharana) with the example of pratibodhak (the caller) and mallak (the bowl). Question - What is this example of the caller about Vyanjanavagrah? Answer - The example of the caller is like this -
When a caller calls a sleeping person with some name like this "Hey someone! Hey someone!"
The disciple asks the guru - "Then does his ear receive the particles entering the ears for one samaya, two samaya and so on up to ten samaya, or those entering for countable and uncountable samayas?"
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The guru explains "The particles entering the ears in one samaya are not received, neither is those entering in two to ten samaya or even countable number of samayas. Only those entering the ears in uncountable number of samayas are received.
This concludes the description of vyanjanavagrah with thehelp of the example of the caller.
COMMENTARY In the Jain system of measurement of time the word 'samaYa' is not used in its traditional meaning (samaya time). Here it means the smallest indivisible unit of time. Broadly speaking it is explained as the time taken in a wink is equivalent touncountable number of samayas. Accordingly the particles entering ears for one to countable number of samayas convey only the inexpressible parts of any information. An expressible knowledge is carried into the ears by those particles that continue to enter the ears for uncountable number of samayas.
The minimum duration of vyanjanavagrah is only inexpressible fraction of one avalika and maximum being prithaktva breath (inhalation + exhalation) (this is approximately equal to the duration of a single pulse of healthy human being).
EXAMPLE OF THE BOWL
Question What is this example of mallak (the bowl)?
Answer - The example of the caller is like this - If a man lifts a fresh earthen bowl from a potter's kiln andpours a drop of water in it, the drop disappears (soaked into thebowl). He then adds another drop and that too disappears. Thisway when he keeps on adding drops there will be one drop thatwill make the bowl wet, one drop that will stay a drop, one dropthat will fill the pot, and one drop that will spill out.
In the same way by adding continuously when that vyanjan(consonant or sound) is filled with (formed by) infinite particles, then the person utters 'ya', but he is not certain about thesource of that sound. After this he enters the state of iha andthen only he knows about the source of sound. Then he entersthe state of avaya and converts that information intoknowledge. After this he enters the state of dharana andabsorbs the knowledge in his memory for countable oruncountable period of time.
COMMENTARY This is another appropriate example of vyanjanavagrah. As long as a fresh earthen pot is not completely wet or saturated, it keeps on soaking water. In such bowl when water is poured drop by drop, every drop is absorbed and lost. This continues till the last drop that makes the bowl saturated with water is dropped. The next drop remains as a drop in that pot. When this drop by drop pouring continues, slowly the pot gets filled and there is one last drop that fills the pot to the brim. The next drop spills out.
Aagam- 44 -NandiSootra
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Compiled by- Deepratnasagar
