Reals on the Jaina Metaphysics

Author(s): Harisatya Bhattacharya
Publisher: Shatnidas Khetsy Charitable Trust Mumbai

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Reals in the Jaina Metaphysics
Akāśa allows Avakāśa or space to all things entering into it; and all things have Avagāha or entrance into Space. So according to the Jaina's Ākāśa or Space is the Real in which all other Reals viz. souls, the principles of motion and rest, matter, time or the principle of change find their abode and we have seen that Space itself is its own abode as well. The Jaina's illustrate Avakāśa and Avagāhana by saying that while a swan puts itself into the water of a pond, the swan has Avagāhana into the water and the water allows Avakāśa to the swan. The mode of Avakāśa and Avagāhana is like that also in the case of Ākāśa.
Akāśa is infinite, eternal and formless and is included in the Ajīva or the class of non-psychical Reals. Its Pradeśa's or subtle parts are said to be infinite in number. Each Pradeśa of Akāśa is capable of accommodating at least one Pudgala atom, one irreducible particle of Kāla, one such of each of Dharma, Adharma and Jiva.
THE LOKA AND THE ALOKA
Ākāśa is conceived by the Jaina's to consist of two partsLoka and Aloka. The Loka is the part which accommodates the souls, the material susbtances, the principles of change,
1 As the author of the Rāja-vārtika says:
TETT ET PASHA ----- TT ayatT: 3TFiT THATE In this connection, one may question, "That portion of the water which accommodates a swan cannot accommodate any other thing at the same time; how then is it possible for the Ākāśa to accomrnodate the souls, material atoms, as well as the principles of motion and rest, the principle of mutation,-all these substances at one and the same time"? To explain this, Brahma-deva introduces the example of lights:
एकदीपप्रकाश नानाप्रदीपप्रकाशवत् । He says just as the lights of numerous other lamps are also possible in a room where there is already the light of one lamp, all the Reals, Dharma, Adharma, etc., may find their accommodation in Akāśa at one and the same time and in one and the same part of it. It may be impossible for two gross material things to occupy one and the same place but not so, if the substance be absolutely subtle like Dharma, etc. The author of the Rāja-vārtika makes it clear by saying:
स्थूला हि परस्परतः प्रतिहन्यन्ते, न सूक्ष्माः।