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

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Page 294
________________ Souls move around in cycles of rebirth due to bondage of karmas. The souls whose karmas are completely destroyed are called Siddha Paramātmā or liberated souls. These souls are endowed with eight virtues including infinite knowledge. They are stationed at the edge of the inhabited space (lokākāśa). Each one occupies space slightly less than their last mundane body. There are infinite space points in a soul. The only thing that the souls do for each other is that they become inspiring or motive cause. Ajīva dravya - Except soul the five other entities are called ajīva dravya or non-living entities. Pudgala, Dharma, Adharma, Akāśa, and Kāla, these five entities are acetana (non-living). Besides Pudgala all these entities are formless. Jiva, Pudgala, Dharma, Adharma, and Ākāśa, all these five entities together are called Pañcāstikāya or five aggregate entities (aggregate of units of space or matter). The are called so because they are aggregates of space-points but time is not an aggregate of its fractions. As it is unitary it is called a non-sectional entity (apradesi). Pudgala (matter) is an entity having form the remaining five are formless. Pudgala dravya – That which undergoes puraņa (growth) and galana (decay) is called pudgala or matter. Another definition is – that which has the attributes of colour, taste, smell, and touch is called matter. There are two divisions of matter - paramāņu (ultimate particle) and skandha (cluster or lump). Ultimate particle is that division of a cluster that cannot be further divided. Ultimate particle is the purest form of matter. A single ultimate particle has immense energy. An independent ultimate particle can travel fourteen Rajju-loka (a conceptual unit of great distance). In the field of philosophy only Jain philosophy has accepted the concept of immense energy of ultimate particle. Some scholars believe that modern science got inspired from the Jain theory of ultimate particles and pursued their research in the field of atomic energy. When one ultimate particle is bonded with another one or more ultimate particles it forms a cluster that is called skandha. There is a highly scientific discussion about the bonding process of ultimate particles available in Jain philosophy. In brief the process is as follows. 277 Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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