Scientific Vision of Lord Mahavira

Author(s): Chaitanyapragyashreeji
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

Page 65

The Model of the Universe in the Bh.S.
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will be, so both are eternal, fixed, perennial, indestructible, imperishable, ever present and persistent.
As quality, they have no colour, no smell, no taste and no touch.
As function, the medium of motion is an indifferent condition of motion and the medium of rest is an indifferent condition of rest.
In the Bh.S the word 'yuna' in the case of the two media is used to denote function and not concurrent properties as in popular parlance. It has been used in the sense of function or an auxiliary feature (upakāru).123 It does mean that the substances called as the medium of motion and the medium of rest are not the initiator of motion and rest but they are only their auxiliary condition.124 Without the help of the two media nothing can move or agitate and rest. Hence, these two substances are essential to any type of motion and rest throughout the world.
Acceptance of the two principles is important to understand motion as such. If one accepts the reality of the physical object, one must accept the reality of motion also. Although looked upon with suspicion by idealist metaphysicians, both realist philosophers as well as scientists accept the doctrine of reality of motion.
In order to accept the reality of motion of physical objects not only the reality of space but also that of the two media of motion and rest must be accepted. None of the non-Jain Indian schools of thought has paid attention to this problem. It is to the credit of the ancient Jain sages alone that they boldly grappled with the problem with significant success.
Actually, the cosmos is nothing but an integral system of infinite living beings, infinite physical objects, the medium of motion and the medium of rest and time existing in a limited space. This is quite natural to suppose some force or power that holds the constituent elements of the universe together. According to the Jain thinkers that force is the medium of motion and the medium of rest. “It is really wonderful that Jain thinkers several centuries ago felt the same intellectual necessity of supposing a physical force which maintains the cosmic unity".125 The thing worthy to note here is that in the above-said statement the word 'physical' is used before the 'force', in my opinion it should be 'non-physical' because both the media are devoid of physical properties.
One question has been raised cannot space be credited with the function of motion and rest in addition to its own function of accommodating things? According to the reply given by Acharya Kundakunda, such a hypothesis would be impossible because it would be conflicting with other facts. If the space is endowed with the attribute of motion and rest then why do the emancipated souls (siddhās) whose tendency is to go upwards come to stay at the summit of the world. Moreover, wherever there is space there should be free chance for motion and rest. But neither a living entity nor a single atom of matter could travel beyond the limit of cosmos though there is space