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Characteristics of Jinism
Another innovation, as original as the former, is its spirited exposition of the existence of microscopic beings. These are technically styled sükşma ekendriya jivas or microscopic beings having only one sense. 26 Earth, water, fire and air are the places for them to dwell in. Existence of these organisms in fire is a little too unscientific but we need have no hesitation in the case of other three as they are fully established by modern scientific researches.
(6) Now I am turning to Jaina Physics. When we look at this universe, the very first idea that strikes us is the idea of order which is technically called cosmos. The leaf of the tree does not move; why? It moves; why ? What is the principlethe law underlying and governing its motion and its rest? This is the case everywhere in this universe. There is order, not disorder. There is cosmos, not chaos.
This occupied the mind of the ancient seers. And they attempted to give a philosophic interpretation which was in keeping with the basic elements of their systems. The Vedāntins said that it is Parabrabma which permeates through the animate and the inanimate world. It is the instrumental and the material cause of everything. 9 7 The Sāmkhyas advanced a theory of the evolution of Prakrti which was at the root of everything. 28 The Jainas had also their own say in the matter. 29 Let us see in the following few lines the chain of reasoning adopted by them in order to provide for and justify order in the universe.
They start with a fundamental hypothesis that jiva and pudgala can be at the most a material cause and no more. In order to give adequate place to instrumental cause, they had to devise some other principles controlling and conditioning motion and rest, to which they gave the technical names of dharma and adharma-the essential principles of Jaina Physics.
They have, moreover, invested the jiva and the pudgala with the power of motion by virtue of which they can go to any place even in the world beyond. If they are not made to move, they will stick fast to the place and the point for ever, thereby making progress impossible. So they wanted jiva and pudgala to move and to rest in such a way as to beget order and keep it. It was desirable not to disturb the existing order of things and at the same time to accommodate for progress. They were quite conscious that they had to steer clear of these difficulties which have overtaken and perhaps upset the rival schools of thought.
So they invented the two physical principles called Dharma and Adharma. They have here a distinct and specific implication. In other words, they are not used here in the ordinary sense of religion and irreligion as in Jaina ethics and elsewhere.
Dharma is allotted a duty of supplying free movement to the jiva and pudgala and the function entrusted to adharma is to arrest wanton movements of the flying jiva and pudgala. So they are the regulating factors--the instrumental causes of motion and rest of progress and inertia.
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