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Biology in Jaina Treatise on Reals
S.
aggregates are characteristic for each body. As the infinite number has also infinite variety like the numerable number, the bodies are distinguishable from each other. 4. Some scholars have opined the word 'pradeśa' (spacepoints) here refers to the atomic aggregates rather than atoms. The Digambara commentators do
with this opinion. For uniform terminology also, spacepoints should mean atoms.
The word 'innumerable (IN)' is not an accurately defined number. Jain has shown that the highest numerable number (HNN) could be approximated to be between 10'2020 on the basis of larger time units. Thus, the lowest value of an innumerable number (LIN) may be LIN = HNN + 1 = little greater than 10"
However, Mahendra Muni calculates it on the basis of number units giving an approximate value to be much higher (10 + 1). Of course, he finally points out that it is an incalculable but definite number.
The practical Indian arithmatical numeration goes upto the highest number of Mahā Sankha nearly equivalent to 10". Thus, for practical purposes, the number 10" +1 could be approximated to the lowest innumerable number. However, this may not be canonically correct. 6. It is very difficult to give a value to a number called 'infinite' at the current state of our knowledge.
It is said in the commentary that the multiplication factor for the successive number of atoms forming atomic aggregates of different bodies is an innumerableth part of a Palyopama unit. If it is taken as practical Palyopama (there are three varieties), its value has been calculated to be = 4.13 10". Thus, the transformable and other bodies will have the following number of atoms in their atomic aggregates:
Transformable A x 4.13x 10" 1A = 4.13x 10"
Ejectable A’x4.13 x 10*/A = 4.13x 10" A 3. Luminous A'I x4.13 x 10*/A = 4.13 10“AI (As per 2.39) 4. Karmic
A’T? x4.13 x 10"/A = 4.13 10“Al (As per 2.39) All these values are practically innumerable. Here A or IN = innumerable number and I = infinite number.
It has been said that the first three successive bodies have innumerable times the number of spacepoints in increasing order. What about the number of spacepoints in the other two bodies? Have they equal spacepoints or there is some difference between them in this regard ? . The following aphorism describes about this point: Ananta-gune Pare
2.39 The last two bodies have (successively increasing) infinite times the number of spacepoints in them in order. 1. The word 'with respect to spacepoints' is supplied here from the earlier aphorism 2.38. Thus, this aphorism has the following meanings- (i) the number
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