Shatkhandagama Pustak 04

Author(s): Pushpadant, Bhutbali, Hiralal Jain, Fulchandra Jain Shastri, Devkinandan, A N Upadhye
Publisher: Jain Sahityoddharak Fund Karyalay Amravati

Page 18

INTRODUCTORY
The present volume contains three prarūpaņās, namely, Kshetra, Sparsana and Kala, out of the eight prarüpanas of Jivaṭṭhāna, of which two, namely, Sat and Dravya-pramāņa have already been published in the previous three volumes, while the last three, namely, Antara, Bhava and Alpa-bahutva are going to be included in the next volume.
The Kshetra prarupana contains 92 Sutras and concerns itself with the determination of the volume of space that living beings occupy under the various conditions of life and existence. The Sutras confine themselves to the treatment of the subject under the usual fourteen spiritual stages (Gunasthanas) and the fourteen soul-quests (Margaṇā-sthānas ). But the commentator introduces ten other conditions of life which have to be taken into consideration. These fall under three main classes, namely, the place of habitation of the beings (Svasthana), their expansion (Samudghata) and their journey for rebirth (Upapada). The first of these includes the usual place of habitation (Svasthäna-svasthäna) and places of occasional visits (Vihāravat-svasthana). The expansion of the soul-substance beyond its usual volume (Samudghata) may be due to pain (Vedanā), or passion (Kashaya), or for a temporary transformation of personality(Vikriyä), or for a visit to the next place of birth just before death (Maraṇantika), or by effulgence of lustre for evil or good (Taijasa), or for reaching a learned person for the removal of a doubt in knowledge in the case of saints (Aharaka), or for getting rid of the remnant karmic bonds in the case of an all-knowing saint (Kevali-samudghata ). Thus, the commentator calcu. lates the volume of space occupied by the living beings in these ten different conditions under the different spiritual stages and soul-quests.
The spatial units adopted for these measurements are five, namely, (1) the entire universe (Sarva-loka), (2) the lower universe (Adholoka), (3) the upper universe (Urdhva-loka), (4) the middle world (Madhyaloka), and (5) the human world (Manusa-loka ). To make these standards definite and precise, the commentator divides the limitless space into two, namely, the Alokakaśa which is pure void and limitless, and the Lokakasa which is situated in the middle of the former, where life and matter subsist and which is limited. It is this Lokakasa which has been adopted as the largest measure in the treatment of volumes. As regards the shape and