Jaina Culture

Author(s): Mohanlal Mehta
Publisher: P V Research Institute Varanasi

Page 60

REALITY
Space is self-supported, while the other substances are not so. They get accommodation in space. Time :
Time (kāla) is the auxiliary cause of change. It helps to produce changes in a substance. It is eternal and formless. Ordinarily time is understood in seconds, minutes, hours etc. The Jaina scheme of the division of time is as follows :
The lowest unit of time is a samaya. Innumerable samayas form an avalikā. 16, 777, 216 avalikäs make a muhurta which is equal to 48 minutes of modern time. 30 muhurtas make an ahoratra (a day and night). Out of ahorätras are formed fortnights, months, years etc. Years can be expressed in words up to a number containing 77 cyphers. Beyond that it is innumerable. An innumerable quantity of years makes a palyopama. 10 kotakoti (crore multiplied by crore) palyopamas form a sägaropama.
Time consists of two kinds of cycles : the ascending cycle (utsarpini) and the descending cycle (avasarpini). That which has the characteristic of development of knowledge, age, stature etc. is the ascending cycle, and that which possesses the characteristic of deterioration of knowledge etc. is the descending cycle. The ascending cycle is of six divisions : duşşamadussamă (most miserable), duşşama (miserable), duşşamasușama (misery mixed with happiness), suşamadușşama (happiness mixed with misery), suşamā (happy) and suşamasuşamā (most happy). The descending cycle is also of six divisions beginning from suşamasuşamā and ending with duşşamaduşşamā. Each of the two cycles is of the extent of ten kotākoți sāgaropamas. The two joined together constitute a kalpa. Time as such is beginningless as well as endless.