Scientific Vision of Lord Mahavira

Author(s): Chaitanyapragyashreeji
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

Page 78

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Scientific Vision of Lord Mahāvīra
clusters can penetrate each other just like the non-material substance such as the media of motion and of rest.23 This fact is made clear through the example of lamps lighting the same space without any mutual resistance. According to Dr. Nathmal Tatia, this discussion reveals a conundrum of Jain philosophy.24 A space unit is measured as a space occupied by one atom; yet, it is possible for an infinite number of atoms to occupy one space-unit.
So far as the living being is concerned, minimum innumerableth part of cosmic space is necessary to be occupied.25 In fact, the soul is an extended substance with innumerable units which contract and expand to fit the body determined by its karma. However, the units of the soul are not like the units of a cluster of matter. They are non-detachable and devoid of the material qualities i.e. touch, taste, smell and colour.
In normal condition, the soul is co-extensive with the body in which it lives.26 But during the astral projection the soul extends itself to cover the entire cosmic space in order to make sensation-producing karma (vedaniya kurma) equal to life- span determining karma at once. In this state, the innumerable units of the soul coincide one-to-one with the innumerable units of cosmic space.27 Though, this is exceptional or rare condition. Generally soul occupies minimum innumerableth part of cosmic space.
The question arises here is, why the contraction of the soul only reduces to an innumerableth part of cosmic space rather than a single space unit? Answer given is the worldly soul always accompanied by the karmic body, which is composed of infinite atoms, which must occupy innumerable space units.28 Even the liberated soul cannot contract itself to a single space unit, because it eliminates one-third of the body occupied during its last worldly existence and that reduced size is maintained in the liberated state. 29
One remarkable question raised and answered in Sarvārthasiddhi is that if an individual soul occupies an innumerableth part of the cosmic space, how can the infinite souls with their body be accommodated in cosmic space?30 The answer is there are two types of soul viz; subtle-bodied and gross-bodied. Subtle-bodied souls do not offer resistance to each other and to gross bodied ones. They are able to co-exist in space whatever they find. Besides this, infinite number of souls can jointly inhabit the space occupied by the sub-microscopic body of the least developed soul.
So far as the medium of motion and the medium of rest are concerned, because of being co-existent and co-extensive they occupy the entire cosmic
space. 31
The above discussion can be summarized in the words of Dr. Nathmal Tatia as follows:
"All the substances exist and have accommodation in cosmic space. Space, however, is not contained in anything, but is selfsubsistent. It has been conceived as containing six substances because it is the locus of all the five substances and also of itself.