On Life and Liberation

Author(s): Mukesh Chhajer
Publisher: Mukesh Chhajer

Page 29

On Life and Liberation
The Six Substances
In Jain scriptures, six substances (dravya) have been defined that pervade the whole universe. They are jiva (soul), ajiva, dharma, adharma, akash (space) and kal (time). Space is further subdivided in to two parts: lok-akash and alok-akash. Alok-akash is infinite and empty and there is no jiva, ajiva, dharma, adharma or kal there. These exist only in lok-akash. The shape of the lok-akash is that of a human being standing akimbo. The lower part of the lok-akash is occupied by various hells and the upper part by the various heavens with the top most section being the siddhaloka, the abode of the siddhas. It is the goal of every jiva to ascend to the siddhaloka from where there is no return to the lower worlds of heavens and hells. This is the description of the world as described in jain scriptures. It is interpreted as the outer world where the humans and tiryanchas reside in the madhya-lok, the infernal beings and some demi-gods in various hells and various devas in different heavens. A jiva can go from one loka to another only by first fulfilling all the four aghatiya karma of the current birth while the ghatiya karma go along with the soul. Ajiva forms the body of the jiva in different worlds. Dharma is the medium of motion and adharma is the medium of rest. Kal is that which distinguishes between the motion and the rest and effects changes. Space allows the jiva and ajiva to take various shapes and sizes, and where they can either move or rest. An example of dharma and adharma is given as follows: when a person is walking in heat in the mid-day sun, he tends to walk faster and so the heat of the sun is the medium of motion, i.e., dharma. When the same person sees the cool shade of a tree, he stops