Book Title: Essentials of Jaina Philosophy
Author(s): Nyayavijay, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: Nyayavijay Nagin J Shah

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Page 10
________________ from place to place & rest. As these two substances are absent in the region-beyond universe, there exists neither an atom nor soul therein. Then what is there in aloka. There is nothing in it. It is simply the form of pure space. There is one more argument to prove the division loka & aloka. The Jaina scriptural principle is that the soul moves upward as soon as it becomes completely free from all karmic atoms. But what is the limit of upward motion? The answer to it cannot be found unless the division of space into the universe space and space beyond universe through the presence or absence of the medium of motion & rest is accepted. The acceptance of this division allows us to say that the medium of motion, the assisting cause of motion, is present in the upward direction up to the highest point of the universe, so the upward motion of the soul freed from material karmic atoms stops as soon as it reaches the highest upward limit of the universe and there it stays, beyond that the medium of motion being absent it cannot move further. Matter (Pudgala) All physical objects from an atom to the grossest object are given the technical name 'pugnala'. This term is a compound formed from two verbal roots viz 'pur' and 'gala', the meaning of the former is to fill - to integrate and that of the latter is to decay - disintegrate. The process of integration & disintegration we experience in our bodies & physical objects are incessantly going on. Every moment some free atoms get integrated into an aggregate & same time some integrated atoms get disintegrated from it. An atom is the ultimate unit of matter (pudgala). The object that comes into being as a result of the combination of atoms is called an aggregate (skandha). To have the physical qualities of touch, taste, smell, color is the nature of matter. This constitutes its corporeality (murtata). It means the state of assemblage of the four physical qualities. For it the term “rupi' is also used meaning one have rupa (color). From this it becomes clear why all substances except matter are called arupi (devoid of color). Touch is admitted to be of eight types i.e. hard, soft, heavy, light, cold, hot, unctuous and arid. Taste is of five types i.e. pungent, bitter, astringent, sour and sweet. Smell is of two types good and bad. Color is of five types i.e. black, red, yellow, green & white. Thus, the types of all the four physical qualities are twenty in all. But each physical quality has numerous divisions & sub-divisions when viewed from their different degrees of intensity. Sound, light, shadow, hot radiation and darkness are the forms of matter. According to the Jaina thinkers, all atoms are qualitatively the same. There are no four classes of atoms. Atoms combine to form an aggregate when they manifest the required degrees of cohesiveness and aridness. Atomic combination is to two types - one giving rise to dimension and shape and the other not. The Jaina thinkers recognize the possibility of an aggregate occupying that much space which a free atom occupies. Time (Kala) Time is experienced by all. A new thing becomes old, an old one decays and a decayed one is at last destroyed. Time substance is posited to account for the incessant minute

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