Nature of Time

Author(s): Nagin J Shah
Publisher: Z_Mahavir_Jain_Vidyalay_Suvarna_Mahotsav_Granth_Part_1_012002.pdf and Mahavir_Jain_Vidyalay_Suvarna_

Page 22

84 : SHRI MAHAVIRA JAINA VIDYALAYA GOLDEN JUBILEE VOLUME
view.97 And if Āc. Hemacandra's view is considered to be the view of those concerded Svetāmbara thinkers, there is no difference whatsoever between the two; as a matter of fact there are no two views; there is but one view only.
It becomes clear from the above discussion that according to this view Time is of two kinds-Absolute (mukhya) and Relative or Conventional (vyāvahārika). Usage or division of past, present and future is metaphorically or secondarily applicable to the Absolute Time while it is primarily applicable to the Relative Time.98 Again, they say that that which is the auxiliary cause of the minute imperceptible incessant changes (vartana) in the substances is the Absolute Time while that which is the auxiliary cause of the gross perceptible changes (pariņāma). the movement (kriya) and the temporal order (paratrāparatva) is the Relative Time.99 They regard the manifestations or divisions or modes of Time made possible by solar motion as Relative Time. Even an activity might be considered by them as Relative Time when it itself being measured measures another activity.100 From all this we can deduce that these Jaina thinkers regarded Time sulbstance shorn of all its modes as Absolute Time and the modes of this substance as Relative Time. And we have already pointed out that even its modes are of two kinds--some dependent on solar motion and others independent of it. In this background their statement that the division of past, present and future is secondarily applicable to Absolute Time while it is primarily applicable to Relative Time becomes quite understandable. But when they say that Absolute Time is an auxiliary cause of minute imperceptible changes in the five substances and Relative Time is the causal condition of gross perceptible changes, movement and temporal sequence, there seems some difficulty and confusion. Do they mean to say that Absolute Time, without the help of its minute modes not dependent on solar motion, serves as an auxiliary cause of minute changes in other substances? If they really
97 fil-374. Trat: 47:1 2 Hagi fanta He: # 34à il-Vrtti on
Yogaśāstra, I. 16. 98 77 Trio wataque situ:, 54981 è gau: 1 --- Rājavārtika, p. 482. 99 स्यान्मतम्-वर्तनाग्रहणमेवास्तु कालास्तित्वख्यापनं तद्विकल्पत्वात् परिणामादीनामिति । तन्न । किं कारणम् ?
कालद्वैविध्यप्रदर्शनार्थत्वात् प्रपञ्चस्य । द्विविध: काल:-परमार्थकाल: व्यवहाररूपश्चेति । तत्र परमार्थकाल:..
qarur 34f14: I—Ibid., p. 482. 100 gada 3411634 gafa : rifegat : 1 -Ibid., p. 432