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Causes of diversity according to the Jains.
AN EPITOME OF JAINISM. when--they say that (i) Time (719) (it) f External Nature ( THI) (iii) Necessity to (faufa) (iv) Activity (7") and the desire to
be-and-to-act ( FJA) these five co-operating constitute the reason which accounts for the diversities in Nature. It is these five that by co-operating, determine the manner and form of the development of the seed or the ovum into a tree or an animal. Indeed it may ring curious to the unaccustomed ears who had not had the opportunity to peruse and ponder over the truths of these philosophical pronouncements of the Jain teachers regarding the differences and diversities in nature. But in order to be able to form a calm judgment on the point in question, it is imperative that we should try to grasp the principle inculcated in these our present philosophical pronouncements bearing on the point.
It has been said that summarily speaking the universe is compound of the four primary ingredients viz., Time, Space, Soul and Pudgal. These are resolvable into the minutest of the minute parts which do not admit of any further analysis. Now
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