________________
10. The God's incarnates (not according to Jaina belief) and
Tīrtharkaras also abide by the dictates of time. They, too, cannot increase or decrease their life-spans even by as minuscule time as a samaya.
These reasons are enough to force us to realise the importance of time and not to trifle with it.
Measuring Time -
Jaina tradition mentions time-measurements that fall in two categories. 1. Measurable but in terms of countless smaller units and 2. Measurable in terms of countable smaller units. We have mentioned one system of reckoning time under the sub-head of
Kāla-dravya’in the fourth chapter while dealing with inanimate substances in the Jaina concept of fundamental verities. Here, we shall present another system, found in the scriptures, as per the Jaina Tattva Darśan’by Šrī Vanitā Bāi Mahāsatiji – Measurable Time (Sarikhyāt Kāla) - Avalikā
The smallest measurable unit of time. (It equals innumerable Samaya, the
minuscule time-unit). Ksullaka Bhava (KB)
256 Āvalikā, Švāsocchavāsa (Prāna)
17 plus KB, Stoka Lava
7 Stoka, Muhurta
77 Lava, Ahorātra (Day and Night)
30 Muhurta, Paksa (The lunar fortnight) - 15 Ahorātra, Māsa (The lunar month)
2 Paksa (The bright and the
dark lunar fortnights), Rtu (Season)
2 Māsa or 2 lunar months, Ayana
3 Řtu,
7 Prāņa,
236 : JAINISM: THE CREED FOR ALL TIMES
