Scientific Secrets of Jainism

Author(s): Nandighoshvijay
Publisher: Research Institute of Scientific Secrets from Indian Oriental Scriptures Ahmedabad

Page 136

Limitations Of Mathematics In Jain Philosophy And...
105
as the quantitative value of the lowest yukta Asankhyāta number. 50
According to Jain philosophy a 'Samaya' is the most micro unit of time. 'Āvalikā' is also a unit of time. In a Muhurtta i.e. in 48 minutes, 1,67,77,216 Āvalikās pass by. 51 In one Āvalikā i.e. 0.000171661 seconds as many as the lowest yukta Asankhyāta i.e.
(the lowest paritta Asankhyāta) the lowest parieta Asankhyäte number of Samayas pass by. Samaya is the so subtle that even great souls possessing a high degree of Avadhijñāna (extra sensory knowledge) cannot know it. Along with the subtlest measure i.e. unit of time, Jain scripturists also have given the highest measure i.e. unit of time. Since the highest unit of time is also outside the limit of mathematics of Jain scripturists, it can be explained only through comparisons.
of these, important greater units of time the smallest is 'Palyāpama'. It consists of an innumerable number of years. 10 Kādākodi means 10 crore-crore i.e. 101 Palyõpama years equal to a Sāgarāpama years and 10 kādākādi i.e. 1015 Sāgarāpama years are equal to an Utsarpinikāla or an Avasarpiņikāla. Utsarpiņikāla and Avasarpiņikāla together make a Kālacakra i.e. time-cycle.52 Infinite time-cycles passed by in the past and infinite time-cycles will pass by in the future. The Palyāpama, the Sāgarðpama and the time-cycle have a fixed number of years. But since it is not possible to show it mathematically, the word 'Asankhyāta' i.e. innumerable is used.
As a Samaya is the samallest unit of time, so a space-point is the smallest unit of length. A space-point is a division of space, occupied by an independent paramāņu i.e. atom which is the indivisible most microparticle of matter. In short, the size of an independent paramānu, is a unit of length, breadth or thickness. Innumerable such paramānus joining together grossly make a unit of the most micro sub-atomic particle, accepted by the modern science. But the longest/largest unit of length is a Rajju or Rājalõka. A Rājaloka is equal to innumerable Yojanas and one Yojana is equal to 3200 miles or 5120 kilometres. Though the measurement of a Rājaloka is limited and definite, it is so big that it cannot be represented through numbers or mathematical equations and therefore, the word Asankhyāta i.e. innmerable is used to represent it.
It is a special characteristic of Jain mathematics that negative numbers