________________
The Jaina world of Non-living
existence of the present, the past and future will also become nonexistent.
Q.
The Sankhyas point out that there is present time defined as the group of actions starting from the beginning to the end of the process. It is said that the present time is that medium time when the action has begun but not completed yet.
A.
This cannot be correct as it is contradictory to the Sankhyan concept. Firstly, only the action was postulated as time. Now, the 'group of action' is being called as time. Secondly, the momentary actions cannot form a group. It is possible to have a present time for those systems like the Jainas who have a separate time entity characterised by the continued existence. They have the beginning of the action with the first moment and existence of action in the second, third and other moments substantively. Thus, they will have the group of actions until the end of completion of process like that of making an earthen pot. Thus, they can have the present time through their statement like 'pot is in the making'. However, if the entity of time is negated because of its separate perception, the action and group of action will also stand negated. The action is defined as the specific activity of the actors. Their activity is not perceived separately form the actors as the bendings of a serpent. They are not different from it like action. Moreover, the 'group of action' is also not different from component actions, thus, both will be negated. Secondly, an activity cannot ascertain another activity as it does not have a fixed position due to its momentary state. It is observed that fixed measure of Prastha (app. 1 kg) etc. measures the fixed grains. It is not observed that any non-fixed entity can ascertain another nonfixed entity.
Q. There is always a statement like 'vibrations like lamp (flame)'. Here the lamp is non-fixed and vibrations are also nonfixed. Thus, action will also ascertain another action.
A. This statement is unproved. The Jainas do not agree that the lamp-flame and vibrations
are momentary because its
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