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plant life constitute Ekendriya. Earth worms, leaches etc. are Dweendriya. Ants, bugs etc. are Treendriya. Flies, bees etc. are Chaturindriya. Most of the birds, animals, human beings, heavenly beings and infernal beings are Panchendriya. We shall give more details about soul in the next chapter.
Pudgal is a matter pervading the Lokäkäsh part of the universe. The term Pudgal is made up of Pud meaning filling up and Gal meaning draining away. True to that name, its particles happen to be integrated and disintegrated. Its smallest unit is known as Paramänu, which is too minute to be visible. The scriptures have described Paramänus as being more microscopic than the atomic particles. They have the capability to combine with one another. When they so combine, they are termed as Skandhas or molecules. Depending upon the size of combinations, the Skandhas can be visible or invisible. Color, smell, taste and touch are the principal properties of Pudgal. Our bodies and everything else that is seen or experienced as lifeless, is Pudgal. They undergo continual change and their changing states are known as their Paryäys. Paramänus and their Skandhas have the capability to give scope to other Paramänus and Skandhas. As such, any number of them can simultaneously occupy the same space.
There is one indivisible Dharmästikäy pervading the Lokäkäsh part of the universe. As stated above, that is instrumental to Jiv (soul) and Pudgal in making movement. Similarly there is one single Adharmästikäy pervading the Lokäkäsh. That is instrumental in maintaining stability. Both of them have the capability to give space to other substances.
The last substance is Käl or Time. It may not seem appropriate to treat Käl as a separate substance. Jain scholars also do not hold uniform opinion about it. Digambars mostly treat it as an independent substance; while Shwetambars treat it as an instrumental substance useful for comprehending the changing states of the above-mentioned five substances. Usually we measure the time in terms of hours, minutes, seconds etc. The Jainism, however, conceives of a unit called Samay, which is an infinitesimal part of a second. The people, who accept time as an independent substance, believe that Samayas are strewn all over the Lokäkäsh.
The infinitesimal minute space occupied by a single Paramänu is called a Pradesh. It would be clear from that definition that Jivs, Pudgal-Skandhas, Dharmästikäy, Adharmästikäy and Akash occupy more than one Pradesh. The concept of Pradesh is so minute that each of the souls and Skandhas are said to be occupying countless number of Pradeshas. Anything occupying more than one Pradesh is termed as Astikäy. Therefore those five substances are known as Jivästikäy, Pudgalästikäy, Dharmästikäy, Adharmästikäy and Akäshästikäy respectively. All of them together are known as Panchästikäy. A Samay is, however, supposed to occupy only one Pradesh. As such, Käl is not an Astikäy. There is therefore no term as Kälästikäy.
