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_

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NATURE OF TIME : 85
so, the Jaina view of Absolute Time becomes identical with the Vaiseșika view with this much difference that Absolute Time, according to the Vaišeşikas, is not atomic while it is atomic according to these Jaina thinkers. If it be said that it does take their help, those modes should not be classed as Relative Time because for Absolute Time the criterion laid down is to work as an auxiliary cause of minute changes in the five substances. And as a result Time substance with such modes and not the Time substance shorn of all its modes should be regarded as Absolute Time. But this would make possible the division of past, present and future primarily applicable to Absolute Time-which is not acceptable to these thinkers. Now our task is to understand their statement that Relative Time is the auxiliary cause of gross modifications, movements and temporal sequence. I feel that the Relative Time under discussion could be nothing but the minute unanalysable ultimate mode of Time substance. This mode is termed samaya. It is identical with an instant101 (also termed samaya) which is defined as the time taken by an atom to traverse a unit of space by a slow movement.102 And it is this instant which makes possible the gross modification, movement and temporal sequence in the following manner. Gross modification or change implies duration which is impossible without instants. Movement means existence of a body at different contiguous space points at different instants. This means that without instants even movement would become impossible. Dharma is regarded as an auxiliary cause of movement but not in the
101 Darsana aur Cintana, p. 333. 102 अप्रदेश एव समयो...... एकैकमाकाशप्रदेशमभिव्याप्य तस्थुषः प्रदेशमात्रस्य परमाणोस्तदभिव्याप्तमेकमाकाशप्रदेश
HEGETAT barua ya aft: 1-Amrtacandra's comm. on Pravacanasāra, II. 46. See also Vrtti on Dravyasamgraha (Arrah Ed.), gathās 21-22. Compare: तत्र परमसूक्ष्मक्रियस्य सवेंजघन्यगतिपरिणतस्य परमाणोः स्वावगाहनक्षेत्रव्यतिक्रमकाल: समय syal Bhasya on Tattvārthasūtra, IV. 15. The Jainas maintain that as soon as the soul is liberated, it travels the whole universe and reaches the Abode of the Liberated within a samaya. Again they believe that the sound-atoms travel the whole universe within a samaya. Now, if they were to define a samaya (moment) in terms of movement of an atom from one space point to the next one, they cannot help qualifying this movement by the term slow' (jaghanya or manda). The Buddhists talk of the speedy motion (āśugati) of an atom in this connection. The Yoga system refers simply to motion of an atom without any qualification slow or speedy (calitah paramānuh).