Practical Path

Author(s): Champat Rai Jain
Publisher: ZZZ Unknown

Page 28

CHAPTER II.
THE TATTVAS. The first two of the tattvas deal with the nature and enumeration of the eternal realities, elements or substances of nature, and the remaining five with the interaction between two of these substances, namely, soul, or spirit, and matter. There are six simple substances in existence, namely, Spirit, Matter, Time, Space, Dharma and Adharma. Of these spirit or soul-substance, called jiva in Jainism, is to be distinguished from the remaining five, called ajava, on account of the quality of intelligence with which it is endowed and of which the other substances are devoid. A substance is to be distinguished from a body, or thing, inasmuch as the former is a simple element or reality while the latter is a compound of one or more substances or atoms. There may be a partial or total destruction of a body or thing, but no substance can ever be annihilated. Substance is the substrate of qualities which cannot exist apart from it, for instance the quality of Auidity, moisture, and the like only exist in water and cannot be conceived separately from it. It is neither possible to create nor to destroy a substance, which means that there never was a time when the existing substances were not, nor shall they ever cease to be. From another point of view substance is the subject of modifications. Every substance bas