Jain Journal 1969 10

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 45

88
JAIN JOURNAL
Santaraksita and Kamalasila refute this view. They urge that if the divisible ākāśa is held to be eternal, then all the objections that have been urged against the view “the indivisible ākāśa is eternal” would become applicable. 67 The defects poined out by Santaraksita in this theory are as follows. If ākāśa is eternal and consists of parts, words should remain in the form “this is the same”. Another argument in support of this idea is presented by him in the form that what is eternal does not stand in need of the help of anything. Hence the cognitions that would proceed from the eternal source, should all appear simultaneously. Therefore, he concludes that ākāśa is neither eternal nor consists of parts.68 In the Abhidharmakoșa, ākāśa is enumerated in the asamskệta dharmas and described as “without covering" (tatrakasamanavrttih).89 According to Buddhaghosa, akasa is infinite.70
The Jainas are of the view that ākāśa is eternal and consists of parts (sāvayava) and having infinite parts or pradešas. The etimology of ākāśa itself indicates that it allows space to other substances to enter into or penetrate itself.71 This entering or penetration is expressed by the word avagāha.72 Different places occupy different locations of ākāśa. Its manifoldness connotes, as in the case of matter itself, its possession of parts.73
Conclusion
This brief account of the Jaina philosophy of six dravyas as found in the Buddhist literature shows that :
(i) The six dravyas as well as the seven tattvas of Jainism were taken note of in early Pali works and further refuted in later Buddhist philosophical literature written in Sanskrit.
67 Tattvasangraha, 2557. 68 Ibid., 2448. 69 Abhidharmakosa, 1.5. 70 Atthasalini, 160 ; Dialogue of the Buddha, pt. 1. p. 36. fn. 2.
71 akasante'smin dravyani svayam vakusaia ityakasam. jivadini dravyani svaih parayayaih avyatirekena yasminnakasante prakasante tadakasam svayam catmiyaaparyayamaryadaya akasata ityakasam. avakasadanadva. athava itaresam drayyanam avakasadanadk asamiti prsodaradisu nipatitah sabdah.--Tattvartha Vartika, 5.1.21-22. Kundakunda defines akasa as follows:
savvesim Jivanam sesanam tahaya puggalanam ca.
jam dedi vivaramakhilam tam loe havedi ayasam. 72 akasavagahah.Taitvartha Sutra, 5.18.
13 akasaya...savayuvatvam ghatadis ivopapannam savayavamakasam himavatvindhyavaruddhavibhinnadesattvat, TBV., p. 651; Jaina Theory of Reality and Knowledge, p. 277. Cf. PKM., p. 563 ; NKC., pp. 245.