Fundamentals Of Jainism

Author(s): Champat Rai Jain
Publisher: Veer Nirvan Bharti

Page 19

THE TATTVAS
1.1
knowledge, infinite happiness and absolute power. Its nature is frecdom which, when obtained, becomes the source of its great joy. In its modifications, it is the subject of knowledge and enjoyment, or suffering, in varying degree, according to its circumstances. The soul is not possessed of sensible qualities, and cannot be perceived with the senses. It has no permanent form of its own till it attains nirrâna, when its form becomes fixed once for all and for over. Like a semi-fluid jelly, it assumes the form of the body in which it might happen to be ensouled for the time being.
Matter is a non-intelligent substance consisting of an infinity of particles or atoms which are eternal. These atoms are possessed of sensible qualities, namely, taste, smell, colour, and sparsa*, and sound also arises from their agitation in certain forms. Atoms form the material basis of all kinds of physical bodies from the most sūkshma (subtle) to the grossest. They also combine with the soul when they obstruct its natural properties, thereby holding it in bondage.
Time is the cause of continuity and succession. It is of two kinds, nishichaya and vyavahara. The former of these is a substance, which makes simple units revolve on themselves, thus giving rise to the idea of progress or change in the same place, that is continuity; but the latter is only the measure of duration, and depends on the succession of regularly recurring eients of a universal type.
Dharma and Adharma are the two substances which are helpful in the motion and stationary states of things respectively, the former enabling them to move from place to place and the latter to come to rest from the condition of motion.
Space is the substance which finds room soi all other substances and things.
Four of these substances, namely, Time, Space, Dharnia and Adharma, though necessary for the world-process, play no important part in the scheme of spiritual evolution. We shall, therefore, pass on to a consideration of the nature of the interaction between spirit and matter, without stopping to describe the remaining substances any further.
Sparsa means touch which is of eight kinds.