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अजीवाधिकार
2- THE NON-SOUL
Jaina cosmology divides the worldly cycle of time (kalpakāla) in two parts or half-cycles - ascending (utsarpiņi) and descending (avasarpiņi) - each consisting of 10 x 1 crore x 1 crore addhāsāgaropama (10 kotākotī sāgaropama). Thus, one cycle of time (kalpakāla) gets over in 20 kotākotī sāgaropama. During the ascending period (utsarpiņī) of the half-cycle, in the regions of Bharata and Airāvata, there is the all-round increase in age, strength, stature and happiness of the living beings, while during the descending period (avasarpiņī) of the half-cycle, there is the all-round deterioration. Just as the moon continues its never-ending journey of waxing and waning luminance, there is incessant and eternal revolution of the worldly cycle of time in these regions.
Time periods beyond these values are termed as infinite (ananta) in Jaina cosmology.
When the atom of matter-pudgala-paramāņu – traverses slowly from one space-point (pradeśa) to the other of space (ākāśa), it must cross over one kālānu to enter the other. The infinitesimal time taken by the atom of matter - pudgala-paramāņu – to traverse slowly from one space-point (pradeśa) to the other is the mode (paryāya) of the substance of time (kāla). This infinitesimal time is called the 'samaya' - the measure of time. If individual kālāņu were not separate and if it were possible for the kālānu to unite with each other, the mode (paryāya) of the substance of time (kāla) – the 'samaya' - would not exist.1
1 - Acārya Kundakunda's Pravacanasāra - Essence of the Doctrine, p. 179-180.
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