________________
Letter 5
31
namely Jain Siddhant Praveshika. It consists of the meanings of the Jain terminologies and definitions in the form of questions and answers.
First and foremost it begins with the question 'What is cosmos?' Cosmos means world, universe, in other words whatever that exists. Usually in this cosmos we include this earth, various planets, sun, moon, stars and all other heavenly bodies in the space. But actually word cosmos has a very vast all pervading meaning. It has a special meaning in our philosophy. Its definition is 'Conglomeration of all the substances is cosmos'. Just as society is not any specific thing; but many people living together form a society, similarly collection of all the substances is called cosmos. Later we will see what kind of conglomeration is this
cosmos.
If we look at these substances with reference to their attributes, we can classify them in six groups. Or there are six basic substances in relation to their characteristics. But in numbers they are infinite i.e. Anant art. The names of six substances are as follows:- (1) Jeev Dravya vita द्रव्य (2) Pudgal Dravya पुद्गल द्रव्य (3) Dharma Dravya धर्म द्रव्य (4) Adharma Dravya अधर्म द्रव्य (5) Akash Dravya आकाश द्रव्य (6) Kaal Dravya काल द्रव्य. So far as the quantity is concerned, Jeev are infinite, Pudgal infinite times infinite, Dharma and Adharma Dravya are one each, Akash Dravya also is one and Kaal Dravya innumerable i.e. Asankhyat (arden).
In Lokanupreksha section of the scripture Kartikeyanupreksha the nature of cosmos and the six substances is described. Great Acharya Swami Kartikeya too quotes that this is the nature as told by the omniscient ones. In any of our philosophical books you will note that none of the Acharyas say that I say so. Whatever the omniscient ones knew was told by them. And that is written down by the Acharyas.
In any faculty of medicine or science if there is no definite answer to any problem then various scientists put forward their various theories about it. But the Agam as told by the ommiscient ones are not theories but they are facts as they exist. First of all the nature of Lokakash is described. Akash is a substance. Its area is endless. In other words it has no boundaries or end. At the centre of this Akash substance is Lok (a) where all the six substances have come together or conglomerated. That conglomeration or coming together is called Lok or Lokakash. This cosmos is neither created by anybody, nor held together by anybody, nor is there anybody who takes care or protects this universe. This is stated in Gatha 115 of Kartikeyanupreksha.
You may be aware that in many other philosophies God is the creater of this cosmos. According to Hindu philosophy Brahma (TET) is the creater, Vishnu (fau) is the protector and Shankar (t) is the
