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Arhat Pārśva and Dharanendra Nexus
(1) The world consists of the animate beings and the inanimate objects. (2) There are four different planes of the world:
(i) Material (dravya) (ii) Spatial (kşetra) (iii) Temporal (kāla)
(iv) Existential (bhava) (3) World inheres in selfhood. It exists by itself. In the perspective of comman
deering position the world belongs to animate beings but in the perspective of its constitution, it belongs to both animate and the inanimate. As for the existence of the world, it is eternal, with neither the beginning nor the end but is ever changing and (thus) dynamic in nature. While explaining the meaning of the term loka, it is said that this world is called loka, because, it is known or experienced or recognized. (The Sanskrit term lokāyata means to be known or to be recognized.) To explain the nature of motion the following four questions have been raised: (a) What is motion or gati? (b) Who meets this motion? (c) What are the different forms of motion?
(d) Why is it called gati, motion? Answering these questions about the motion Arhat Pārsva said: (a) Any motion or change in existence in animate and in the inanimate
beings is called gati. (b) Animate and inanimate (substances) encounter motion or change. This
change is of four types: substantial, spatial, temporal and existential. (c) The existence of movement or change is also perennial with no begin
ning or end. (d) It is called gati because it has motion. About the karma philosophy and the moral teachings of Arhat Pārsva, it is thus recorded: 1. The animate beings possess an upward motion by their inherent (abstract)
nature, while the matter has a downward motion by its intrinsic nature (inertia). The animate beings reap the fruits of their deeds according to their good or bad) karmas or activities, while the changes in inanimate substances take place due to their dynamic nature.
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