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The Concept of Matter in Jaina Philosophy
A LIGHT ON CARAMA (LAST) AND ACARAMA (NOT-LAST) CONDITION
OF PARAMĀNU (ATOM) According Jaina Philosophy, paramānu is acarama (notlast) from the aspect of substance, somehow carama (last) and somehow acarama (not-last) from those of locus or field, time and condition. Paramānu which, being bereft of Vivaksitabhāva (intended condition) of transformation, will not attain that condition is carama with regard to that condition; paramāņu opposite to carama is called acarama, i. e. paramāņu which will attain that condition is carama with regard to that condition. Hence this paramāņu is not carama but a acarama with regard to dravya (substance), for paramāņu, which being lost from its own state, attains samghāta-paramāņu (transformation of combination), and it will again attain paramāņupariņāma (transformation into ultimate atom) in course of time from the state of samghātapariņā!na, so it is acarama. With regard to kşetra (field) paramānu is carama in some respect and acarama in other respect. In the space where a Kevalin (omniscients) attains samudghāta (expansion of soul), paramāņu which is immersed there, does never attain immersion there as being particularized by the attainment of samudghāta of that Kevalin, because of the liberation of the Kavalin that paramāņu cannot come there. So it is carama in this respect. But with regard to the remaining space (non-particularized space) it will remain in that kşetra (field or locus), i. e, it is acarama because it exists there by immersion. With regard to kāla (time) paramāņu is carama in some respect and carama in other respect. In reference to kāla when samudghāta is performed by a Kevalin (omniscient), paramāņu (ultimate atom) which existed, never exists at the (time) particularized by keva1. Davvādesenaṁ n carime acarime, khettādeseņaṁ siya
carime siya acarime, kālādeseņam siya carime siya acarime bhāvādesenam siya carime siya acarime, Bhs., 14. 4. 512; Pannavanā, 157.
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