Atma the Self

Author(s): Punyadarshanvijay
Publisher: Sanmarg Prakashan

Page 67

ĀTMĀ
JAINISM -
A HOLISTIC SCIENCE
To call Jainism simply a religion is a misrepresentation since it gives a unified scientific basis for the cosmos, including living and non-living entities.
The Self....
Thus it is a Holistic Science which encompasses everything including religion. One should bear in mind that Jaina Science is very much qualitative. However Jaina Science goes much beyond Modern Science in many places but only rarely do these two conflict.
The religion is based on cosmic principles on which this colossal cosmic machinery runs without any mistake.
The principles of Modern Science are true to some portion (in particular context) of space and time only but the principles of Jainism are true for all time, all space, for every body and every thing. Jainism throws light on colossal structure of the universe, its shape, size, origin, purpose and mechanism. It deals in perfect details with six reals out of which the universe is made. Everything that happens in the universe is according to the fixed pattern of eternal laws which are unshakable and infallible.
In the Jiva - Vicāra, one of the Jain Scriptures, it has been elaborately described where life exists, its life-span, types of bodies, its sizes, etc. in the cosmos. From invisible Nigoda, indivisible unit of time (Samaya) and indivisible particle (Paramāņu) to the other extreme, the longest life span and giant size of humans, mammals, animals, birds, etc., many times enormous than pre-historic skeletons discovered so far. All these have been made known to us by the Omniscient Teacher (Arhat).
Jainism says a drop of water contains several 'Trasakaya' - moving beings, numberless molecules (Skandha). Through the electronic microscope this statement is now confirmed (the presence of bacteria and viruses). Jainism has described in details with scientific precision all these and many more types with the only aim of protecting life. It further mentions that a drop of water is made up of innumerable subtle bodies, each having a soul.
Jainism has attributed life to stone and minerals. There is life also in fire and air, Jainism has shown many types of trees including maneating
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