Book Title: Introduction to Jainism and its Culture
Author(s): Balbhadra Jain
Publisher: Kundkund Gyanpith Indore

Previous | Next

Page 292
________________ which includes the three processes of creation, destruction and permanence is a dravya. 3. That which has fundamental properties (guna) and modes or variants (paryāya) is a dravya. These three attributes are not contradictory. That which exists undergoes the processes of creation, destruction, and permanence; and that which undergoes the processes of creation, destruction, and permanence has fundamental properties (guna) and modes or variants (paryāya). The gunas in a dravya are permanent whereas the paryāyas are created and destroyed every moment. In a dravya all these three signs can be seen every moment. Dravya is never extinct; it never looses its qualities of creation, destruction, and permanence; and it is never devoid of its attributes and modes. Without creation there is no destruction and without destruction there is no creation. Also in absence of a permanent state of a thing creation and destruction are meaningless. In other words creation and destruction is of a thing only Creation, destruction and permanence in a thing are simultaneous phenomena. For example the destruction of a lump of clay is the creation of pot and vice versa; this is also the permanence of clay. Also the lighting of lamp and spreading of light or extinguishing of lamp and spreading of darkness happen at the same time. In the same way creation and destruction happen at the same moment but the basic material remains the same in both the states. Another example is bending a finger; at the same moment bent state is created (gaining), straightness is destroyed (losing) and the finger remains the same or permanent (retaining). These three parameters are coexistent. CATEGORIES OF DRAVYA There are six categories of dravya (entities) - Jīva, Pudgala, Dharma, Adharma, Ākāśa, and kāla. The universe is made up of these six entities and this number is always constant. The number of entities is neither increased nor reduced. The kinds of entities mentioned in other philosophies are all included in these six. Jīva dravya - Primarily the entities are of two kind cetana (living) and acetana (non-living). Jīva dravya is the living entity and the remaining five are non-living. Vyavahāra naya is phenomenal or conventional viewpoint. And Niścaya naya is noumenal or unconventional or transcendental viewpoint. From the phenomenal 275 Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334