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Jaina Conception of Space and Time
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The space points are conceived as inseparable parts or avayavas of akaša. Thus akusa is an avayavi - astikaya2. Avayavas or parts (pradesas) of akasa are as much objectively existent as akaśa of which they are parts. Were it not so, the two cities say, Ahmedabad and Poona which like the two mountains, the Himavat and the Vindhya, Occupy diferent locations of space, would, the Jainas affirm, tend to be at one location, which is an absurd position.24 They maintain that the partless akaśa can never be a favourable receptacle for the objects having parts. Thus they contend that akaśa too must have parts; for, when the table exists in space, it does not cover the whole space, as in that case other things cannot exist at all anywhere; the table exists not in all space but in that part of space where It does actually exist, leaving room for the other objects to exist elsewhere; all this clearly imply that space too has parts; space is an avayavt. To be an ayayavi does not necessarily mean that it should be produced from its avayavas put together at some point of time.
5 Divisions of akasa Akasa is ananta (infinite) in extension. That portion of it, which contains all substances is called Lokakaśa (Universe-space) and that portion of akāśa, which has no substance to accommodate in itself is called Alokakala (Space-beyond-the-Universe). Akasa is one only. Lokakasa and alokakaka are not two individual akaśas. Thus this division is not in akāśa itself but It is due to its relation with other substances. 25
6. Lokākasa _Lokakasa has asamkhyata (innumerable) space-points.20 This number is fixed. That is, there is no possibility of increase or decrease of the space-- points of lokakāśa. Though lokākāśa has asankhyata spacepoints, it acco
23 तत्त्वार्थसूत्र, ५. १ *24 आकाशस्य...सावयवत्वं घटादेरिवोपपन्नं, सावयवमाकाशं हिमवत्विन्ध्यावरुद्धविभिन्नदेश
त्वात् । सन्मतितर्कप्रकरणटीका (प्रका. गूजरात विद्यापीठ) पृ. ६४१ । द्रव्याणां प्रतिनियतदेशावस्थानात् । इहान्येषु आकाशप्रदेशेषु पाटलिपुत्र स्थितम् , अन्येषु च मथुरा, अतो नाना आकाशप्रदेशाः । यस्यैकान्तेन अप्रदेशमाकाशं तस्य यद्देशं पाटलिपुत्र
तदेशभाविन्येव मथुरापि स्यात् । तत्त्वार्थराजवार्तिक, ५. ८ ___ 25 आकाशं द्विधा विभक्त लोकाकाशमलोकाकाशं चेति....। सर्वार्थसिद्धि, ५. १२ । धर्मा
धर्मपुद्गलकालजीवा यत्र ले क्य-ते स लोक इति वा । ...बहिः समन्तादनन्तमलोकाका
शम् ' राजवार्तिक, ५. १२ । _26 सर्वार्थसिद्धि ५. १०.
. Sambodh. 6, 3-!
