Jain Journal 1990 07

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

Page 10

JULY, 1990
problematic. Moment of time, called samaya or kālāņu, is considered as undergoing origination, permanence and destruction at one and the same instant and hence is considered infinitesimal.15 Then how is it possible that finite number (asamkhyāta) of infinitesimal time instants (kālāņu) make one measurable interval at time, avali? Exactly same contradiction would come in the way of coherent understanding of dravya-s (principle of continuities according to Jains) which have spatial extension of innumerable space-points (asamkhyāta pradeśa), will not make any sense. Only an infinite conglomerate of infinitesimals can make an object with spatial extension or an infinite serial of infinitesimals can make an interval of time. This mean asamkhyāta will have to be understood as infinite to make sense of usage of asamkhyāta samaya or asamkhyāta pradeśa in cosmology.
If overlooking above argument pradeśa itself is seen as finite than asamkhyāta pradeśa will make a sense even if asamkhyāta is finite. Instead of translating pradesa as 'space-point' it can be translated as finite 'spaceregion' but we will have to overlook that part of Jain cosmological tenets which describe it as infinitesimal. But even such an understanding would lead to discord with Jain thesis regarding number of souls (jiva) in the cosmos. One soul as well as whole cosmos have spatial extension of asamkhyāta pradeśa.16 Granting that there can be many orders of provisionally finite class of asamkhyāta numbers, total number of souls would be finite (considering asamkhyāta pradesa of soul to be minimum order of asamkhyāta and asamkhyāta pradeta of cosmos to be higher order of asamkhyāta).17 This way total number of souls in cosmos can never be infinite (ananta) as held by all Jain thinkers.18 Even if superposition19 of souls is accepted, number of loka (worlds) with respect of soul would also be finite in cosmos as no multiple of finite would lead to infinite. In other words one loka can not have finite souls. Hence pradesa can not be regarded as a finite region of space.
From Jain cosmological texts it appears that term asamkhyāta signified infinity as only than asamkhyāta pradeśa and asamkhyāta
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15 Pravacanasara [2.50-51]. Pancastikayasara [1.101]
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Dhavala [III, p 29, gatha 19]
Sthanangasutra [4.495]. Total number of souls
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(number of pradesa of cosmos) (number of pradesa of soul). Notice that souls only dwell in cosmos. Sthananga sutra [2.418]/ke ananta loge ? jivaccheva ajivaccheva/'what is ananta in cosmos? soul and non-soul.' Also Dhavala [III, p 29, gatha 19]
Superposition means at one place in cosmos many soul can dwell at an instant superimposed on each other somewhat like waves. Jains in fact give analogy of soul and light, as in a room many lamps can light the same point so can soul exist at one point without disturbing each other. See f. n. 56.
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