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Jaina Conception of Matter
'dhātu' because of their being the maintainer and nourisher of the human body. The meaning of the word 'kaya' is the organic body or figure in the Indian literature. The five entitiesearth, etc. are called 'kāyas'1 (bodies) because of their being of different shapes or figures. These entities are called 'dravyas' (substances) on account of the continuity of their various tangible qualities and actions or modes in the womb of space and time. Similarly, such a doctrine that the universe is composed of five elements (pañcabhautika) has emerged with the development of Indian metaphysical thought. A reference to these five elements (bhūtas), earth, water, fire, air and ākāśa is found in the Upanisads, the Buddhist Pitakass and the Jaina Āgamas. But the Indian speculation about Acetanatattva (non-sentient principle) went on more and more and it turned towards the subtle cause from the tangible gross cause of the material universe. The group of advocates of the concept of five elements of matter fell apart from that of the speculators of the finest cause of Acetanatattva. The first group of thinkers stopped there and began to establish the concept that there was nothing else except the five elements of matter (bhūtas). This concept is known by the name of Barhaspatya, Lokayata or Carvaka.7
One tradition of Indian schools of thought accepting the concept of four elements of matter (bhūtas)8 without ākāśa (ether or sky) was also continuing in the field of metaphysical 1. Bhagavati sutra, 24. 16. 702-709.
2. Pṛthivyāpastejo vayurākāśaṁ iti dravy im, VS.
1. 1. 4.
3. Nyayamañjarī, Pt. II.
4. Svetāśvatara Upanisad, 1. 2.
5. Dighanikaya, Samaññaphalasutta;
Ajitakeśakambali.
6. Sūtrakṛtāṁga, 1. 1. 17.
7. Dīghanikāya, Sāmaññaphalasutta;
Tattvopaplavasimha, p. 1.
8. Ibid, p. 1.
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