Concept of Paryaya in Jain Philosophy

Author(s): S R Bhatt, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Concept of Paryaya in Jain Philosophy instantaneous. The latter is explicit, gross, lasting for some time and amenable to verbal expression.15 In other words, what occurs independently is the similar change. What depends for its occurrence on conditions that are external is called dissimilar. 16 The noticeable thing here is that the former is too subtle to be recognized. This is the reason an object, after having changed, does not appear to be so. In the case of the liberated self, the medium of motion, the medium of rest and the change is always similar. Apart from these all other objects have both similar and dissimilar change. The conceptions of probability and possibility are of paramount importance in modern science. By accepting reality as multifaceted the Jain philosophy has provided grounds for their scientific principles. In the context of change, Acharya Shree Mahapragyaji has beautifully presented the scientific outlook of the Jain Thinkers in the following manner: "The subtle modifications can not be known through the senses. They are the object of super-consciousness. The visible modifications are gross. They are manifest and, therefore, can be known through the senses also. It is in the case of these gross modifications that we can think of both, the possible and the probable. Every modification has the possibility of changing into any other mode. A colour can change into another colour, a smell into another smell, a taste into another taste, and a touch into another touch. Yati Bhoja has described two types of potentialities, viz.; the potentiality that can be actualized at a distant time (oghasakti) and potentiality that can be immediately actualized (samucitasakti). The former is the mediate cause, while the latter is the immediate cause of change. Grass has the potentiality of becoming ghee at a distant future. Curd can change into ghee immediately. The potentialities are too many to be enumerated. Theoretically, it could be said that potentialities of an object are innumerable as far as the mediate form of potentiality is concerned. A scientist through his research can know a few of these. A person, with the power of super-sensuous knowledge can know them through super-sensuous knowledge. An ordinary man can, however, know only the immediate cause or the visible modifications. We, therefore, can not put any limitation on the possibilities or probabilities.'17 Multiformity of the universe depends upon the multiformity of relationship among the fundamental realities. The fundamental realities postulated by all the philosophical schools are limited in number. For